:Saccharification
{{Short description|Chemical change wherein a sugar splits off a simple sugar}}
Saccharification is a term in biochemistry for denoting any chemical change wherein a monosaccharide molecule remains intact after becoming unbound from another saccharide.{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharification|title=Definition of SACCHARIFICATION|website=www.merriam-webster.com}} For example, when a carbohydrate is broken into its component sugar molecules by hydrolysis (e.g., sucrose being broken down into glucose and fructose).{{cite web |title=Definition of Saccharification |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharification |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=8 September 2020 |language=en |archive-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107190250/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharification |url-status=live }}
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/smallgut/bbenzymes.html|title=Small Intestinal Brush Border Enzymes|last1=Bowen|first1=Richard|date=|website=VIVO Pathophysiology|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=30 November 2019}}
Through thermolysis, saccharification can also occur as a transient result, among many other possible effects, during caramelization.