The figure below illustrates partial models of a starch

Last updated: 1/27/2023

The figure below illustrates partial models of a starch molecule and a cellulose molecule two carbohydrate polymers that are each made of covalently bonded glucose molecules Starch A B CH OH C OH D OH CH OH OH OH O CH OH OH Partial models of a starch and a cellulose molecule Cellulose OH OH OH CH OH O CH OH OH OH CH OH OH Which of the following best explains why human enzymes that can digest starch cannot also digest cellulose despite the fact that they are both polymers of glucose OH Human enzymes can only facilitate the digestion of starch because starch is formed via a dehydration synthesis reaction The breakdown of starch involves a catabolic reaction but the breakdown of cellulose involves an anabolic reaction which does require enzymatic catalysis The polymers are digested differently because starch is primarily used for energy stor age while cellulose is primarily used as the component of plant cell walls 0 The biomolecular differences between the polymers prevent starch digesting enzymes from effectively binding cellulose