Saccharification is a term in biochemistry for denoting any chemical change wherein a monosaccharide molecule remains intact after becoming unbound from another saccharide. For example, when a carbohydrate is broken into its component sugar molecules by hydrolysis (e.g., sucrose being broken down into glucose and fructose).
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. Through thermolysis, saccharification can also occur as a transient result, among many other possible effects, during caramelization.
See also
References
"Definition of SACCHARIFICATION". www.merriam-webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharification ↩
"Definition of Saccharification". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharification ↩
Bowen, Richard. "Small Intestinal Brush Border Enzymes". VIVO Pathophysiology. Retrieved 30 November 2019. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/smallgut/bbenzymes.html ↩
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. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4500512 ↩