Which of the following is NOT a component of carbohydrates?

Cholesterol is not a component of carbohydrates. It is actually a type of lipid, which is a different class of biomolecules. Carbohydrates are primarily made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, and include various forms such as starch, cellulose, and sugars.

Starch is a polysaccharide that serves as a storage form of energy in plants, while cellulose is another polysaccharide that provides structural support in the cell walls of plants. Sugars, which can be simple (like glucose) or complex (like sucrose), are the building blocks of carbohydrates and play crucial roles in energy metabolism.

Cholesterol’s structure and function are distinct as it is involved in cell membrane composition, steroid hormone production, and other vital processes, making it clear that it does not belong to the carbohydrate category.