disaccharide, any substance that is composed of two molecules of simple sugars (monosaccharides) linked to each other. Disaccharides are crystalline water-soluble compounds. The monosaccharides within them are linked by a glycosidic bond (or glycosidic linkage), the position of which may be designated α- or β- or a combination of the two (α-,β-). Glycosidic bonds are cleaved by enzymes known as glycosidases. The three major disaccharides are sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
Sucrose, which is formed following photosynthesis in green plants, consists of one molecule of glucose and one of fructose bonded via an α-,β-linkage. Lactose (milk sugar), found in the milk of all mammals, consists of glucose and galactose connected by a β-linkage. Maltose, a product of the breakdown of starches during digestion, consists of two molecules of glucose connected via an α-linkage. Another important disaccharide, trehalose, which is found in single-celled organisms and in many insects, also consists of two molecules of glucose and an α-linkage, but the linkage is distinct from the one found in maltose.