BUNDA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
PROGRAMME : BSc
COURSE : Biochemistry I
COURSE NUMBER : BSC 211
YEAR : Two
PRESENTED TO : Faculty of Agriculture
PRESENTED BY : Basic Sciences Department
LECTURES/WEEK : 3 x 1 hour (Semester 1)
PRACTICAL : 1 x 3 hours (Semester 1)
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT : Course work 40%
End of course exam 60%
AIMS OF STUDY:
To provide students with the fundamental knowledge on the structure and role of lipids / fatty
acids, carbohydrates and amino acids / proteins in living systems.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
a. Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids / fatty acids, amino acids /
proteins and nucleic acids.
b. Apply the knowledge about biological molecules to understand some biochemical
processes.
c. Conduct hands-on biochemistry laboratory activities proficiently.
LECTURE TOPICS
a. Carbohydrates
Aldoses / Ketoses
Ring structures
Modification of simple sugars
Disaccharides
Polysaccharides
Cell surface heteropolysaccharides
b. Proteins
Polypeptides / levels of structure
Amino acids / groups
Proteins / enzymes
Enzyme kinetics
Specific important proteins
c. Lipids and Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids
Mono / di- / triglycerides
Phospholipids / sphingolipids
Steroids basic structure
Structure of a biological membrane
d. Nucleic Acids
Nucleosides
Nucleotides
Phosphodiester linkage / polynucleotides
Properties of DNA molecules
Functions of the DNA molecules
DNA replication
RNA structure
RNA types (mRNA, tRNA, rRNA)
Transcription
e. Bioenergetics
Glycolysis / Fermentation / Glucogenesis
Overview of catabolic pathways
LABORATORY TOPICS:
a. Buffers and Titration Curves
b. Hydrolysis of Starch by Amylase
c. Selective Precipitation / Fractionation
d. Determination of Protein Concentration
e. Tests for carbohydrates
f. Determination of ascorbic acid
g. Determination of lactose in milk
h. Titration of an amino acid
i. Identification of some amino acids in proteins
j. Denaturation of globular proteins
k. Properties of lipids
l. Enzyme activity
m. Saponification number
PRESCRIBED TEXTS
a. Mathews C.K., van Holde K.E., Apping, D.R and Anthony, S. 2013.
Biochemistry. 4th Edition. Addson-Wesley Publishing Company. San
Francisco, USA.
b. Voet D and Voet J.G. 2011. Biochemistry. 4 th Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
New York, USA.
c. Campbell M.K and Farell S.O (2012) Biochemistry 7 th edition. Brooks/Cole,
Cengage Learning: Belmont.
RECOMMENDED REFERENCE BOOKS
a. Horton R., Moran L.A., Ochs., Rawn J.D. and Scrimgeour K.G. 2002. Principles of
Biochemistry.3rd Edition. Prentice Hall, Pearson Education International. New Jersey,
USA.
b. Stryer L. 1995. Biochemistry. 4th Edition. W.H. Freeman and company. San
Francisco, USA.
c. Montgomery R., Conway T.W., Spector A. and Chappel M.D. 1996. Biochemistry- A
case oriented Approach. Mosby Publishers. New York, USA.
d. Zubay G. 1993 Biochemistry. 3rd Edition. Mn C and Brown Publishers. New York,
USA.
e. Lehninger A.J., Nelson D.L. and Cox M.C. 2013 Principles of Biochemistry. 6th
Edition Worth Publishers. New York, USA.
