Question

Which of the following statements is not correct regarding chitin?

• A. It is a storage polysaccharide
• B. It is a homopolysaccharide
• C. It is a constituent of arthropod exoskeleton and fungal cell wall
• D. It is the second most abundant carbohydrate on earth.

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide (after cellulose). Chitin is not a storage polysaccharide rather it is a structural homopolysaccharide, which forms the structural component of fungal walls and exoskeleton of arthropods. It is an unbranched polysaccharide formed of $N$-acetylglucosamine $(NAG)$ monomers joined together by $\beta -1,4$ linkages.