LIFE SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Disaccharides and polysaccharides must be broken down to monosaccharides by hydrolysis so they are small enough to be absorbed. Hydrolysis is the breakdown of a chemical compound that involves splitting a bond by water. There are polysaccharides that your body cannot break down called cellulose.

Detailed explanation-2: -The process of converting polysaccharides into monosaccharides, in particular, is called saccharification. In humans, carbohydrates (apart from monosaccharides) are digested through a series of enzymatic reactions. These enzymes are salivary amylase, pancreatic amylase, and maltase.

Detailed explanation-3: -Examples of monosaccharides include glucose (dextrose), fructose, galactose, xylose and ribose. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of disaccharides such as sucrose (common sugar) and polysaccharides (such as cellulose and starch).

Detailed explanation-4: -This type of reaction is called a hydrolysis reaction. The figure below shows an example of a hydrolysis reaction. Because disaccharides are easily digested and quickly absorbed into the blood, they, along with the monosaccharides, are often referred to as the simple sugars. The image above shows a hydrolysis reaction.