What is the term CHO in food science?

[pivoxa15]

I was reviewing a basic food science lecture slide and came across the term CHO in the middle of it on slide 26-28. But there is no explanation of what it is (what it stands for). The lecture was a basic introduction on carbohydrates. Anybody know?

The information on the slides are below:

26. In animals
CHOs serve as the major source of energy. Some CHO can be readily digested and utilized by animals while other CHOs cannot be digested by the mammalian system.

27. CHOs not used immediately for energy will be converted to and stored as fat. Animals that consume food of animal origin will receive a higher amount of energy from fat as compared to those receive nearly all their energy from CHOs.

28. Fiber fractions
Fiber fractions of the CHO which are not digested by the mammalian system serve the important role of providing mass to void from the gastrointestinal tract. In humans there seems to be added protection from atherosclerosis and reduction in colon cancer with higher dietary fiber.


Thanks

 

[iansmith]

CHO is the abbreviation for carbohydrate

 

[pivoxa15]

iansmith, I thought it might be from the descriptions but how strange that the lecturer having never used the term, put them on three slides and then never use it again. He used the full word carbohydrate on all the other slides.

 

[iansmith]

Some prof used abbreviation on certain slides because it is too "crowed" and they want to add more info.

Or he "borrowed" part of the presentation from somebody else.

 

[Ouabache]

Hmmm, could there may be a connection between the chemical symbol for elements found in carbohydrates and the choice of this abbreviation?

 

[bomba923]

Yes, I'm pretty such there is--!

I mean, who refers to carbohydrates as "Cbhdts"??

 

[Moonbear]

iansmith, I thought it might be from the descriptions but how strange that the lecturer having never used the term, put them on three slides and then never use it again. He used the full word carbohydrate on all the other slides.

There could be a number of reasons, such as he borrowed the slides from another lecture or lecturer, just couldn't fit the whole word in on the slide, originally wrote all the slides with the abbreviation due to habit and missed a few when he went back to change them. Were they near the end of the lecture? Perhaps they were after he explained carbohydrate structure and had explained enough to introduce the abbreviation? He could have also just added those slides after realizing there was a gap in the material and was tired by then, so forgot to write out the full word for the class.

Anyway, this is why it's important to pay attention in lecture , because I'm sure he still said the full word when talking about these slides (nobody says "C-H-O", they just write it that way), at which time, if this was a new abbreviation to you, you could have noted the definition.

 

[phosphorylated]

A carbohydrate is generally CxH2xOx, meaning there are twice as many hydrogens as oxygens and carbons.

 

[cronxeh]

Careful newbie.. you going toes to toes with the big bear here

 

[Math Is Hard]

A carbohydrate is generally CxH2xOx, meaning there are twice as many hydrogens as oxygens and carbons.

I suppose that holds roughly true in the monosaccharides and disaccharides that I know of (in the disaccharides I am learning about, ex. lactose, maltose, and sucrose, the dehydration reaction between their monomers causes them to lose (the equivalent of) a molecule of H₂O, so C₆H₁₂O₆ + C₆H₁₂O₆ - H₂O ends up as C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁).
But for the polysaccharides, I don't know anything about the CHO ratio. I'm curious to know, though, since I am just beginning to learn this stuff!

 

[somasimple]

It means (as stated):
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen

 

[Ouabache]

It means (as stated):
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen

Hmmm, could there may be a connection between the chemical symbol for elements found in carbohydrates and the choice of this abbreviation?

Good to see someone thought my query through...