What is the importance of carbohydrates in nature?

Fructose is widely distributed in nature – fruit sugar, which is significantly sweeter than other sugars. This monosaccharide gives a sweet taste to plant fruits and honey. The most common disaccharide in nature – sucrose, or cane sugar – consists of glucose and fructose. It is obtained from sugarcane or sugar beets. Starch for plants and glycogen for animals and mushrooms are a reserve of nutrients and energy. Cellulose and chitin perform structural and protective functions in organisms. Cellulose, or fiber, forms the walls of plant cells. In terms of total mass, it takes first place on Earth among all organic compounds. By its structure, chitin is very close to cellulose, which forms the basis of the external skeleton of arthropods and is part of the cell wall of fungi.