3. What are
Macromolecules?
Cells and their organelles are made up of
smaller building blocks called
macromolecules.
There are 4 basic types of
macromolecules. They are:
Lipids
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Nucleic Acids
4. Monomers & Polymers
Macromolecules are actually made up of
even smaller subunits. Each subunit of a
macromolecule is called a monomer.
The macromolecules themselves are called
polymers, because they are made up of many
of these subunits.
Monomer: one basic unit or subunit
Polymer: a chain of many basic units
5. What you need to know:
Names of the 4 macromolecules
Structure- monomers and polymers of each
Function- what are they used for?
Food sources- what foods will you find
these in?
Indicator Tests- what tests do we use to
find out if a food contains them?
7. Lipids: Structure
Lipids are made up of…
Monomer (basic unit): fatty acids
Polymer (chain of units): lipids
Specific examples: triglycerides,
phospholipids
8. Lipids: Structure*
Properties of
Lipids caused by:
Saturated vs.
Unsaturated fatty
acids
Polar head and
nonpolar tail
regions
Hydrophilic and
hydrophobic regions
9. Lipids: Function
Make up the cell membrane, providing cell
structure
Provide insulation (fat keeps body warm)
Long-term energy storage
10. Lipids: Food Sources
As you might have guessed, fatty foods
contain lipids.
Lipids are found in meat and fish, oils,
avacados, eggs & nuts.
14. Proteins: Structure
Proteins are made up of…
Monomer (basic unit):
amino acids
20 different kinds!*
Polymer (chain of units): protein
More specifically- polypeptides
dipeptide
Amino acids
linked by
peptide
bonds
16. Proteins: Structure
Proteins have complex
structures. The
shape of a protein
determines its
function!
The levels of protein
structure are:
Primary structure:
polypeptide chain
Secondary structure:
polypeptides in coils
or sheets
Tertiary structure:
coils or sheets form
a tangle
Quaternary structure:
more than one tangle
combine to make a
very complex
protein!
17. Proteins: Function
Build and repair muscle
and tissues
“No pain, no gain!”
Enzymes- proteins that speed up chemical
reactions
18. Proteins: Food Sources
Proteins are found in meat, fish, legumes,
nuts, milk, eggs, grains and soy products.
There are 6 amino acids that our bodies
cannot make- we can only get these from
food.
22. Carbohydrates:
Structure
Carbohydrates are made up of…
Monomer (basic unit): simple sugars (or
monosaccharides)
Ex.: glucose
Polymer (chain of units): complex
carbohydrates (or polysaccharides)
Ex.: starch, cellulose, chitin, glycogen
Disaccharide:
2 simple
sugars bonded
together
23. Carbohydrates:
Function
Provide body with
energy!
What should you eat
before playing the big
game? Candy bar or
pasta?
Candy bar: contains
simple sugars,
provides a short burst
of energy
Pasta: contains starch
which takes longer to
break down, provides
longer-lasting energy
*We can’t digest
cellulose- it is used
as fiber, or roughage
instead.
Ex. : corn
Complex carb (ex. Starch)
Simple sugars (ex. Glucose)
Broken down to
disaccharides
Broken down further
24. Carbohydrates: Food
Sources
Simple carbs (simple
sugars) are found in
most candy and sweet
drinks, fruit,
vegetables, and milk.
They are quickly
digested and give a
short burst of energy.
Complex carbs (like
starches) are found in
pasta, bread, potatoes,
legumes & corn. They
take longer to digest,
and provide energy
longer.
30. Nucleic Acids: Food
Sources
We get nucleic acid components from
vitamins and minerals in our diet.
These in turn, come from fruits,
vegetables, grains, meats, & almost
anything else you can think of with
some nutritional value (no junk food!).
32. Nucleic Acids:
Indicator Test
You will not be using an
indicator test for these but in
case you’re wondering…
Dische diphenylamine test
Turns from clear-light blue
to dark blue if nucleic acids
are present
33. Digestion &
Reconstruction
When macromolecules are eaten, they are
digested and broken down into their
subunits (monomers).
Analogy: taking apart an old brick building
Inside the cells, these subunits are
reconstructed into the macromolecules we
need.
Analogy: using bricks to build a new
building
34. Digestion Products
Macromolecule
eaten:
Broken down in stomach
to:
Carbohydrates Simple sugars (i.e. glucose)
Lipids Fatty acids & glycerol
(glycerol further broken down
to glucose)
Proteins Amino acids
Nucleic Acids Nucleotides
