You might have heard of various examples of disaccharides because we usually consume them in everyday foods. But, here we will discuss them in a detailed manner and also add some further examples to it. Disaccharides are polymers made by linking two monosaccharides. In simple words, disaccharides are sugars or carbohydrates. Now, you may get the first line, why I mentioned everyday foods. Why disaccharides are so important, actually they are because they are used as energy carriers and to efficiently transport monosaccharides. For instance, in the human body and in other animals, sucrose is digestive and broken into its simple form sugars for quick energy. So, without lingering here let’s know some examples of disaccharides.
What Are The Examples Of Disaccharides?
Here are the Examples Of Disaccharides and then below we will have a brief about them
- Sucrose
- Maltose
- Lactose
- Lactulose
- Trehalose
- Cellobiose
- Chitobiose
- Kojibiose
- Nigerose
- Isomaltose
- Laminaribiose
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What Are The Disaccharides?
Disaccharides, also popularly known as double sugar, are a molecule formed by two monomers called monosaccharides, or simple sugars. The structure of disaccharides contains 12 carbon atoms, and their chemical formula is C12H22O11. Mainly, disaccharides are formed through dehydration reactions in which a total of one water molecule is removed from the two monosaccharides.
The popular name for the disaccharide is carbohydrates are found in many foods and are often added as sweeteners. The function of disaccharides is to provide energy to the body.
For instance, sucrose is table sugar, and it is the most common disaccharide that humans eat. The human body can not directly digest the disaccharides, so, they need to break them down into their simple sugars.
11 Examples Of Disaccharides
Below are some examples of disaccharides that give you a complete idea of the disaccharides. There are multiple disaccharides, some are the most common and some are not so common. But here we will discuss both of them. Let’s know what are examples of disaccharides and explore them in detail.
1. Sucrose
Sucrose is a disaccharide and you might have heard of sucrose because it is a table sugar in its refined form, and is a disaccharide found in many plants. It is one of the food examples of disaccharides. The monomers of sucrose are glucose and fructose and it is a very important component in the human diet as a sweetener. If you are sucrose intolerant you must limit sucrose as much as possible, and you may have to take supplements or medications.
2. Maltose
Maltose is another main example of a disaccharide, which is made of two glucose molecules. Maltose disaccharide is formed when grain softens and grows in water, and it is a component of beer, starchy foods such as cereal, potatoes, pasta, beetroot, and many sweetened processed foods. In plants, maltose is formed when starch is broken down for food. It is used by germinating seeds in order to grow. It is also one of the examples of disaccharides foods.
3. Lactose
Lactose means milk sugar and is formed from galactose and glucose. The milk of mammals is high in lactose and provides nutrients for infants. Most mammals can only digest lactose as infants, and lose this ability as they mature. Humans can digest lactose in their adulthood, it is because of the mutation that allows them to do so.
4. Lactulose
The monomers of lactulose are fructose and galactose. Lactulose can be used to treat constipation and liver disease and may also be used to test for the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Some countries use it in food, but this is not allowed in the US because it is considered a pharmaceutical that could potentially harm diabetics.
5. Trehalose
Trehalose is also an important disaccharide example and it is made from the molecules like maltose, which is a molecule of glucose. It is found in certain plants, fungi, and animals like shrimp and insects. The blood sugar of many insects, such as bees, grasshoppers, and butterflies, is made up of trehalose. They use it as an efficient storage molecule that provides rapid energy for a flight when broken down.
6. Cellobiose
Like maltose and trehalose, cellobiose is also made from the two glucose molecules, but they are linked in yet another different way. It is found made of cellulose, and the main component of plant cell walls is hydrolyzed. Cellobiose is used in bacteriology, the study of bacteria, to perform chemical analyses.
7. Chitobiose
Disaccharide chitobiose consists of two linked glucosamine molecules. Structurally, it is very similar to cellobiose except that it has an N-acetylamino group whereas cellobiose has a hydroxyl group. It is found in some bacteria and used in biochemistry research in order to study enzyme activities.
8. Kojibiose
Kojibiose is a rare example of a disaccharide, it is a rare sugar, which is present in low sake and koji extracts, honey, and beer. Kojibiose is also found in the human gut as a part of the ‘intracellular’ teichoic acids in Gram-positive bacteria such as streptococci.
9. Nigerose
Nigerose disaccharide also known as sakebiose, is an unfermentable sugar obtained by partial hydrolysis of nigerose, a polysaccharide found in black mold, but is also readily extracted from dextrans found in rice molds and many other fermenting microorganisms like L. mesenteroides.
10. Isomaltose
The chemical formula of isomaltose is C12H22O11, it is composed of two glucose units. It has a molar mass of 342.30 g.mol-1. It is similar to maltose, but with an alpha-(1-6)-linkage instead of alpha-(1-4)-linkage.
11. Laminaribiose
Laminaribiose is a great example of a disaccharide and is commonly used in the agricultural field and as an antiseptic. It is in general obtained by hydrolysis or by acetolysis of natural polysaccharides of plant origin. It is also a product of the caramelization of glucose.
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FAQ
What Are Disaccharides And Give 2 Examples?
A disaccharide (also called a double sugar ) is the sugar formed when two monosaccharides (simple sugars) are joined by glycosidic linkage. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are soluble in water. Three common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
What Are The 3 Common Disaccharides?
Disaccharides are a major source of energy in the diet and are typically thought of as the following three major compounds: sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Sucrose, commonly thought of as table sugar, is the most widely available disaccharide and is the most commonly used naturally occurring sweetener.
Is Honey A Disaccharide?
Honey is composed primarily of the simple sugars glucose and fructose – known as monosaccharides and a further 17% to 20% of water. Honey also contains other types of sugars such as sucrose (which is a disaccharide composed of fructose and glucose linked together through α-1–4 linkage).
Is Starch A Disaccharide?
Carbohydrates are classified into four categories: simple sugars or monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides, such as sucrose and lactose, oligosaccharides, such as maltodextrin and dextrins, and polysaccharides, such as starches and cellulose
What Are 5 Examples Of Monosaccharides?
What Are The 3 Different Types Of Monosaccharides And Disaccharides?
Glucose, galactose, and fructose are common monosaccharides, whereas common disaccharides include lactose, maltose, and sucrose.
What Is Considered A Disaccharide?
A disaccharide (also called a double sugar ) is the sugar formed when two monosaccharides (simple sugars) are joined by glycosidic linkage. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are soluble in water. Three common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
Conclusion
In this article, you have learned the disaccharides definition and examples and also the disaccharide formula in detail. Do you know? Plants store energy in the form of disaccharides like sucrose and it is also used for transporting nutrients in the phloem. Since it is an energy storage source, many plants such as sugar cane are high in sucrose. Trehalose is used for transport in some algae and fungi. Plants also store energy in polysaccharides, which are many monosaccharides used for storage in plants, and it is broken down into maltose. So, this was all about the examples of disaccharides.
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