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Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism

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Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental biochemical process that ensures a constant supply of energy to living cells. The most important carbohydrate is glucose, which can be broken down via glycolysis to enter into the Krebs cycle and eventually lead to the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
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Carbohydrates are an essential part of the diet in humans and animals. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are natural sources of carbohydrates that provide energy to the body, particularly through glucose, a simple sugar that is a component of starch and an ingredient in many staple foods. The stoichiometric formula (CH2O)n, where n is the number of carbons in the molecule represents carbohydrates. In other words, the ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen is 1:2:1 in carbohydrate molecules. This...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Direct Imaging of ER Calcium with Targeted-Esterase Induced Dye Loading TED

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Published on: May 7, 2013

Carbohydrate Esterases: An Overview.

Mariana Armendáriz-Ruiz¹, Jorge Alberto Rodríguez-González¹, Rosa María Camacho-Ruíz¹

¹Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco A.C. (CIATEJ), Zapopan, Jalisco, México.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|August 16, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Carbohydrate esterases are enzymes that modify carbohydrates. This review covers 50 years of research on polysaccharide-degrading esterases, their traits, and applications in synthesizing valuable esters.

Keywords:

Acetyl xylan esterases Carbohydrate esterases Chitin deacetylases Ester synthesis Feruloyl esterases Pectinesterases Polysaccharide degradation

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Published on: June 25, 2010

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Enzymology
Carbohydrate Chemistry

Background:

Carbohydrate esterases are enzymes that cleave ester bonds in carbohydrates.
The CAZy database categorizes these enzymes into 16 distinct families.
Research has spanned nearly five decades, focusing on key enzyme groups.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide an overview of carbohydrate esterase research.
To highlight enzymes involved in polysaccharide degradation.
To discuss applications in synthesizing high-value esters.

Main Methods:

Literature review of research over the past 50 years.
Analysis of biochemical and molecular characteristics of carbohydrate esterases.
Examination of applications in ester synthesis.

Main Results:

Identification of major carbohydrate esterase groups involved in polysaccharide breakdown.
Characterization of their biochemical and molecular properties.
Demonstration of their utility in producing valuable esters.

Conclusions:

Carbohydrate esterases are crucial for polysaccharide degradation and ester synthesis.
Decades of research have elucidated their diverse roles and applications.
These enzymes hold significant potential for industrial applications.