Saccharification is a term in biochemistry for denoting any chemical change wherein a monosaccharide molecule remains intact after becoming unbound from another saccharide.[1] For example, when a carbohydrate is broken into its component sugar molecules by hydrolysis (e.g., sucrose being broken down into glucose and fructose).[2]
Enzymes such as amylases (e.g. in saliva) and glycoside hydrolase (e.g. within the brush border of the small intestine) are able to perform exact saccharification through enzymatic hydrolysis.[3] Through thermolysis, saccharification can also occur as a transient result, among many other possible effects, during caramelization. [4]
- ^ "Definition of SACCHARIFICATION". www.merriam-webster.com.
- ^ "Definition of Saccharification". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ Bowen, Richard. "Small Intestinal Brush Border Enzymes". VIVO Pathophysiology. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Woo, K. S.; Kim, H. Y.; Hwang, I. G.; Lee, S. H.; Jeong, H. S. (2015). "Characteristics of the Thermal Degradation of Glucose and Maltose Solutions". Prev Nutr Food Sci. 20 (2): 102–9. doi:10.3746/pnf.2015.20.2.102. PMC 4500512. PMID 26175997.