Why are starch and glycogen more suitable as storage product than glucose?

Answer 1

Starch and glycogen are both ways of storing glucose, the energy source for most cells. Starch and glycogen are both polymers of glucose, produced by repeated condensation reactions between glucose molecules. When the glucose is needed, they can be broken down by hydrolysis reactions to release the glucose. The advantages of storing glucose as a polymer are that it prevents the glucose from being used up in other reactions, by taking it out of solution, and it also prevents the glucose from altering the water balance of the cell. If large numbers of glucose molecules were produced they would draw water into the cell by osmosis. Similarly when they were used up water could leave the cell by osmosis. Polysaccharides are insoluble and so do not affect the water balance of the cell.

Answer 2

The main purpose of food in mammals is for energy. A good form of energy storage (when there is surplus food) should a) be compact and light; b) not "cost" too much to put into storage or take out of storage; and c) have little or no effect on the osmolarity (concentration) of body fluids. Fat is the main form of energy storage, because it has the most calories/gram, but it is difficult and slow to convert back and forth to a useful form the body's cells can use. Polysaccharides store somewhat less energy/gram, but it is much easier to convert them into monosaccharides (like glucose), which are immediately available for cells to use.

Answer 3

glycogen is the simplest form which is easily converted into glucose.

Answer 4

They are basically long chains of glucose molecules, so conversion to glucose takes fewer steps than converting other molecules like fats and amino acids.

Answer 5

Starch and glycogen are made up of thousands of glucose molecules bonded with glycocidic bonds.They are non reducing,stable and insoluble in water.