The Golgi apparatus consists of a stack of flattened membrane-bound sacs called cisternae arranged parallel to one another, along with associated vesicles. Functions: it packages, modifies and sorts materials (such as proteins and lipids) received from the endoplasmic reticulum and secretes them in vesicles. It is also the site of formation of lysosomes and the synthesis of certain complex carbohydrates and cell wall materials.

Ribosomes are non-membrane-bound organelles made of RNA and protein; they are the site of protein synthesis. Lysosomes are single-membrane-bound vesicles containing powerful digestive (hydrolytic) enzymes that digest worn-out organelles, food and foreign material. They are called suicidal bags because on rupture their enzymes can digest the cell's own contents, causing the cell to die (autolysis).

Carbohydrates are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones (or compounds that yield them on hydrolysis) and act as the main source of energy. They are classified as: (1) monosaccharides - simple single-unit sugars such as glucose and fructose; (2) oligosaccharides (mainly disaccharides) - such as sucrose, maltose and lactose, which yield 2 to 10 monosaccharides on hydrolysis; and (3) polysaccharides - large polymers such as starch, glycogen and cellulose.