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DISACCHARIDE
A disaccharide is a sugar (a carbohydrate) composed of two monosaccharides.
[edit] Chemistry
The two monosaccharides are bonded via a condensation reaction that leads to the loss of a molecule of water. The glycosidic bond can be formed between any hydroxyl group on the component monosaccharide. So, even if both component sugars are the same (e.g., glucose), different bond combinations (regiochemistry) and stereochemistry (alpha- or beta-) result in disaccharides that are diastereoisomers with different chemical and physical properties.
Depending on the monosaccharide constituents, disaccharides are sometimes crystalline, sometimes water-soluble, and sometimes sweet-tasting. 'Disaccharide' is one of the four chemical groupings of carbohydrates (monosaccharide, disaccharide, oligosaccharide, and polysaccharide).
[edit] Common disaccharides
Maltose and cellobiose are hydrolysis products of the polysaccharides, starch and cellulose, respectively.
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