Introduction:

Biomolecules are loosely defined as molecules found in biological system. In the biological system, carbohydrate, protein, lipid, nucleic acid and enzyme are key biomolecules. This course covers the chemical structures of these biomolecules and their roles in biological systems. Besides, we will talk about some interesting topics that you encounter very often in daily life. For example, how do artificial sweeteners differ from table sugar? Why do artificial sweeteners have low or even zero calorie contents? Can we unboil an egg? What causes aging? Is there any method to reverse the aging process? Finally, we will talk about the basic principles of chemical analysis for various biomolecules in foods. This course comprises of both lectures and experimental sessions.

生物分子一般泛指存在於生物體的分子。碳水化合物、蛋白質、脂類、核酸和酶都是生物體主要的生物分子。本課程將介紹這些重要的生物分子的化學結構與其在生物體中扮演的角色。除此以外，我們會介紹一些在日常生活經常遇到的有趣課題。舉例代糖與一般食用糖的分別是甚麼？為甚麼代糖有較低甚至沒有卡路里？煮熟後的雞蛋能否變回生雞蛋？為甚麼人會變老？有沒有方法可以返老還童？最後，本課程將介紹化學分析的基礎知識，並講解食物中的生物分子的化驗方法。課程以講課及實驗形式進行。