Sweet lab

Generally speaking, monosaccharides and disaccharides are usually sweeter than polysaccharides. All of the monosaccharides and disaccharides were rated significantly sweeter than both the polysaccharides. Both of the polysaccharides were given very low sweetness ratings by all members of the group, while most of the monosaccharides and disaccharides were given fairly high sweetness ratings, proving that monosaccharides and disaccharides are sweeter than polysaccharides.

The shape of carbohydrates may affect the way organisms use them. For example, carbs with either one or two rings of glucose may be primarily used for energy because they are simple and easy to break down. Polysaccharides, or carbs with three or more rings may be used for structural support in addition to energy.

All the testers in this lab did not give each carbohydrate the same sweetness rating. This may be because everyone is different and people may have different opinions. Some people also have differing taste buds, some being more sensitive to sweetness than others People from different places evolved to taste things differently. This is another reason why tasters may have ranked the samples differently. Our brains detect sweetness in the first place by using the taste detecting cells and taste transmitters in out tongues and brains.