Lactose is what type of saccharide?

Lactose is classified as a disaccharide because it is composed of two monosaccharide units: glucose and galactose. Disaccharides are formed when two monosaccharides are joined together through a glycosidic bond. In the case of lactose, the bond between glucose and galactose is created during the process of fermentation or can be derived from milk. This unique structure allows lactose to be differentiated from other categories of carbohydrates, like monosaccharides, which consist of single sugar units, or polysaccharides, which are formed by long chains of monosaccharide units linked together. Oligosaccharides contain a small number of sugars, typically 3-10 monosaccharides, which is not the case for lactose. Therefore, identifying lactose as a disaccharide aligns with its chemical structure and the way it is metabolized in the body.