Which form of sugar is maltose classified as?

Maltose is correctly classified as a disaccharide because it consists of two glucose molecules linked together by a glycosidic bond. Disaccharides are carbohydrates formed when two monosaccharides undergo a dehydration reaction, which is exactly how maltose is formed. The presence of only two sugar units distinguishes disaccharides from other types of carbohydrates, such as monosaccharides, which consist of a single sugar unit, oligosaccharides, which are composed of a small number of sugar units (typically three to ten), and polysaccharides, which consist of long chains of monosaccharide units. Understanding the structure and composition of maltose helps clarify why it fits in the disaccharide category, as its formation process and structure rely specifically on the combination of two glucose molecules.