ABSTRACT
Mono-and disaccharides are sugars containing carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms, and they are classified as carbohydrates, which also include oligo-and polysaccharides. Mono-and disaccharides are the lowest molecular weight carbohydrates. They are formed in plants [1], and they can be separated from plant material using, for example, water extraction followed by crystallization [2]. Mono-and disaccharides are often stored in stable crystal form. They are added to foods to increase sweetness, to give color and flavor (as a result of nonenzymatic browning and caramellization reactions), and to increase storage stability by lowering the water activity (a
) of a product. The physicochemical and functional properties (sweetness, solubility, melting temperature, glass transition temperature, and reactivity) of mono-and disaccharides differ, although the molecular structures are quite similar.
