maltosio

Maltose, known as maltosio in some languages, is a disaccharide formed from two glucose units linked by an α-1,4 glycosidic bond. Its molecular formula is C12H22O11 and its IUPAC name is α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose. Maltose is a reducing sugar because one anomeric carbon remains free at one end, allowing mutarotation in solution.

Maltose occurs naturally in germinating cereals and in malt produced during the malting of barley and other grains. It is produced industrially by enzymatic hydrolysis of starch using amylases, as in the production of malt, syrups, and other fermentable sugar syrups.

In digestion, maltose is cleaved by the brush-border enzyme maltase into two glucose molecules, which are absorbed in the small intestine.

In food and industry, maltose functions as a mild sweetener with about half the sweetness of sucrose. It tends to be less hygroscopic than glucose and is commonly used in baking, confectionery, and brewing as a fermentation substrate for yeast. In laboratory analysis, maltose is a reducing sugar and can be detected by Benedict's or Fehling's tests.