OLIGOSACCHARIDES

1. They are small-sized polymers of monosaccharides having 2 - 6 simple sugars, occasionally upto 9 - 10.
2. Oligosaccharides are soluble in water, sweet to taste and crystalline in nature.
3. The successive monosaccharide residues are linked by means of glycosidic bonds (-C - O - C - ).
4. Smaller oligosaccharides are unbranched.
5. The larger ones can be branched.
6. Depending upon the number of monosaccharide residues present, oligosaccharides are called - Disaccharides, Trisaccharides, Tetrasaccharides, Pentasaccharides, Hexasaccharides