What are polysaccharides?

Polysaccharides are a chemical compound found in nature, notable as being the most abundant carbohydrate in food. To break the word down, “saccharide” is another term for sugar, and “poly” refers to a large number of these sugar molecules linked into a stable structure. 

In industrial practice, polysaccharides are recognized as either base materials or additives such as starch, cellulose, pectin, dextran, and chitin. Polysaccharides are used in many industries as ingredients for foods, medicines, health supplements, cosmetics, biotechnologies, waste treatment, and even building materials. In the simplest terms, polysaccharides are selected for functional purposes like enhancing a food’s nutritional value, providing a neutral substrate for the delivery of medicine, or for physically reinforcing material structures to make them stronger.