Starch vs Cellulose

Overall comparison

Starch and cellulose are both polysaccharides. They are both made up of glucose molecules. However, starch consists of two different types of glucose molecules while cellulose only consists of one. Also, starch consists of only alpha-glucose while cellulose consists of only beta-glucose. Starch and cellulose both contain 1-4 glycosidic bonds but starch also contains 1-6 glycosidic bonds. Starch and cellulose are both insoluble. Starch and cellulose have different functions. Starch is the main energy storage material in plants; cellulose forms microtubules which provide structural support in plant cells. The chains in starch and cellulose are both formed by condensation reactions. The chains in starch and cellulose are also broken by hydrolysis.