Define Classification of Carbohydrates - Degree of Polymerization?
Classification on the basis of Degree of Polymerization (DP)
Carbohydrates are classified by their degree of polymerization as follows:
1) Sugar (DP: 1-2): Monosaccharide (consisting of a single unit of sugar. Also known as simple sugar) and Disaccharides (consisting of 2 monosaccharide)
2) Oligosaccharides (DP: 3-9): Each molecule containing 3-9 monosaccharide units.
3) Polysaccharides (DP: > 9): Each molecule containing more than 9, but usually several monosaccharide units.