Question

Name and explain the process of producing energy from the food we eat. Write chemical equation of the reaction.

Answer 1

The foods we eat supply the energy needed by the body to drive its complex chemical, mechanical and electrical systems. Where does this energy come from, how is it locked into food molecules and how is it released?

Energy from the Sun

The energy content of all food molecules can be traced back to the Sun. It is the process of photosynthesis that locks the Sun’s energy into simple carbohydrates like glucose. Although the photosynthetic process, which is carried out in the chloroplasts present in plant cells, involves numerous steps, it can be summarised in the following equation.


Energy from sunlight trapped by chlorophyll present in the chloroplasts+6CO2carbon dioxide
+6H2Owater+6H2Owater->C6H2O6glucose->6O2oxygen
___________________________

This reaction only proceeds with an input of solar energy, and the product glucose stores this energy as chemical potential energy.

Plants are able to convert some of the glucose formed into starch and other macronutrients such as proteins and lipids. The origin of the energy locked into these molecules is from the Sun.

Answer 2

Answer:

The foods we eat supply the energy needed by the body to drive its complex chemical, mechanical and electrical systems. Where does this energy come from, how is it locked into food molecules and how is it released?

Energy from the Sun

The energy content of all food molecules can be traced back to the Sun. It is the process of photosynthesis that locks the Sun’s energy into simple carbohydrates like glucose. Although the photosynthetic process, which is carried out in the chloroplasts present in plant cells, involves numerous steps, it can be summarised in the following equation.

Energy from sunlight trapped by chlorophyll present in the chloroplasts+6CO2carbon dioxide

+6H2Owater+6H2Owater->C6H2O6glucose->6O2oxygen

___________________________

This reaction only proceeds with an input of solar energy, and the product glucose stores this energy as chemical potential energy.

Plants are able to convert some of the glucose formed into starch and other macronutrients such as proteins and lipids. The origin of the energy locked into these molecules is from the sun. ☀