Starch and
cellulose have the same substance but different structures. They are both
polysaccharides. The basic unit of a polysaccharide is the glucose. Glucose,
which contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, have two forms. The alpha-glucose
with an alcohol group attached to carbon 1 is down and the beta-glucose with
the alcohol group attached to carbon 1 is up. Starch is the alpha-glucose while
cellulose is the beta-glucose. Starches are linked into a straight chain whereas
the cellulose are connected like a pile of stack paper. When the human body
eats starch, it can digest the starch but not the cellulose because it has no
enzyme that can break it down.
