Previously, you learned that monosaccharides can form cyclic structures by the reaction of the carbonyl group with an OH group. These cyclic molecules can in turn react with another alcohol. Disaccharides (C12H22O11) are sugars composed of two monosaccharide units that are joined by a carbon–oxygen-carbon linkage known as a glycosidic linkage. This linkage is formed from the reaction of the anomeric carbon of one cyclic monosaccharide with the OH group of a second monosaccharide. The disaccharides differ from one another in their monosaccharide constituents and in the specific type of glycosidic linkage connecting them. There are three common disaccharides: maltose, lactose, and sucrose. All three are white crystalline solids at room temperature and are soluble in water. We’ll consider each sugar in more detail.
Maltose occurs to a limited extent in sprouting grain. It is formed most often by the partial hydrolysis of starch and glycogen. In the manufacture of beer, maltose is liberated by the action of malt (germinating barley) on starch; for this reason, it is often referred to as malt sugar. Maltose is about 30% as sweet as sucrose. The human body is unable to metabolize maltose or any other disaccharide directly from the diet because the molecules are too large to pass through the cell membranes of the intestinal wall. Therefore, an ingested disaccharide must first be broken down by hydrolysis into its two constituent monosaccharide units. In the body, such hydrolysis reactions are catalyzed by enzymes such as maltase. The same reactions can be carried out in the laboratory with dilute acid as a catalyst, although in that case the rate is much slower, and high temperatures are required. Whether it occurs in the body or a glass beaker, the hydrolysis of maltose produces two molecules of D-glucose. \[\mathrm{maltose \xrightarrow{H^+\: or\: maltase} \textrm{2 D-glucose}} \tag{16.6.2} \] Maltose is a reducing sugar. Thus, its two glucose molecules must be linked in such a way as to leave one anomeric carbon that can open to form an aldehyde group. The glucose units in maltose are joined in a head-to-tail fashion through an α-linkage from the first carbon atom of one glucose molecule to the fourth carbon atom of the second glucose molecule (that is, an α-1,4-glycosidic linkage; see Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). The bond from the anomeric carbon of the first monosaccharide unit is directed downward, which is why this is known as an α-glycosidic linkage. The OH group on the anomeric carbon of the second glucose can be in either the α or the β position, as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): An Equilibrium Mixture of Maltose IsomersRecommended textbooks for you Biology 2e Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann Clark Biology (MindTap Course List) Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg Publisher:Cengage Learning Nutrition Now Ebk:Nutrition & Diet Therapy Concepts of Biology Author:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise Publisher:OpenStax College Lifetime Physical Fitness & Wellness Biology 2e ISBN:9781947172517 Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann Clark Publisher:OpenStax Biology (MindTap Course List) ISBN:9781337392938 Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg Publisher:Cengage Learning Nutrition Now ISBN:9781337415408 Author:Brown Publisher:Cengage Ebk:Nutrition & Diet Therapy ISBN:9780357391747 Author:DEBRUYNE Publisher:Cengage Concepts of Biology ISBN:9781938168116 Author:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise Publisher:OpenStax College Lifetime Physical Fitness & Wellness ISBN:9781337677509 Author:HOEGER Publisher:Cengage |