Humans can digest starch but not cellulose because
Ahumans only digest molecules below 1000 Da
Bcellulose contains no glucose
Cstarch's α-(1→4) fits; cellulose's β-(1→4) doesn't
Dcellulose is found only in animals
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. starch's α-(1→4) fits; cellulose's β-(1→4) doesn't
Both are pure glucose. The difference is bond geometry. α-(1→4) gives starch a flexible helix that human amylase can hydrolyse. β-(1→4) gives cellulose a straight rigid chain that human enzymes cannot reach. Ruminants have gut bacteria whose enzymes can.
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