Products
Disaccharides are found in many foods and in pharmaceuticals. Pure disaccharides are available in pharmacies, for example.
Structure and properties
Disaccharides are carbohydrates consisting of two monosaccharides that are glycosidically linked. They are formed from two monosaccharides in a condensation reaction that releases water. Disaccharides occur as natural substances in plants, animals and fungi, for example. Typical representatives with their trivial names are:
- Sucrose (household sugar): glucose + fructose, from sugar cane, sugar beet.
- Lactose (milk sugar): glucose + galactose, occurs in milk.
- Maltose (malt sugar): glucose + glucose, is formed by the hydrolysis of starch.
- Cellobiose: glucose + glucose, basic building block of celluloses.
- Trehalose: Glucose + glucose, for example in insects as blood sugar.
Disaccharides with two glucose molecules differ in glycosidic bonding. Disaccharides are usually hydrophilic, highly soluble in water and they have a sweet taste. A distinction can be made between homodisaccharides and heterodisaccharides. Homodisaccharides such as maltose consist of two identical sugars. Heterodisaccharides such as sucrose, on the other hand, are made up of two different ones.
Areas of application
- As a sweetener.
- As an energy source.
- As pharmaceutical excipients.
- For the preparation of processed foods, as yeast substrates.
Adverse effects
Ingestion of some disaccharides such as lactose can cause gastrointestinal disorders such as bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhea in people with food intolerance. Excessive consumption of disaccharides such as sucrose may contribute to the development of disease.
