Read the passage carefully and answer.
Carbohydrates are essential for both plants and animals. Some common examples of carbohydrates are glucose, fructose, sucrose, glycogen, cellulose and starch. They form a major portion of our food. Honey has been used for a long time as an instant source of energy in Ayurvedic medicine. Carbohydrates are used as storage molecules in both plants and animals. The cell wall of bacteria and plants is made of cellulose. We use cellulose in the form of wood for making furniture and as cotton fiber for clothing. They also provide raw material for textiles, paper, lacquers, and breweries. Carbohydrates are classified as Monosaccharides, Oligosaccharides and Polysaccharides on the basis of their behavior towards hydrolysis. Monosaccharides cannot be hydrolyzed further to simpler units whereas oligosaccharides can yield 2-10 units of monosaccharides on hydrolysis. Polysaccharides, which are non-sugars yield a large number of monosaccharide units on hydrolysis.
Answer the following questions about carbohydrates:
Hydrolytic products of maltose are?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Glucose and glucose
A disaccharide gives two monosaccharide units on hydrolysis with dilute acid or an enzyme. The three common disaccharides differ in the units they are made of:
Sucrose: α-D-glucose + β-D-fructose
Maltose: α-D-glucose + α-D-glucose
Lactose (milk sugar): β-D-galactose + β-D-glucose
In maltose, C1 of one glucose unit is linked to C4 of a second glucose unit. Hydrolysis breaks this glycosidic linkage and gives two molecules of glucose; the enzyme that does it is maltase:
\( \displaystyle \ce{C12H22O11 + H2O} \xrightarrow{\text{maltase}} \ce{2C6H12O6}\,(\text{glucose}) \)
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (2) Glucose and fructose — Incorrect. These are the hydrolysis products of sucrose (invert sugar).
Option (3) Glucose and galactose — Incorrect. These are the hydrolysis products of lactose.
Option (4) Galactose and fructose — Incorrect. None of the common disaccharides gives this pair.
NCERT (2026-27 edition):
Maltose
