Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers where sugar units are linked
together through glycosidic linkages. In living organisms polysaccharides are the
structural polymers that provide support (e.g., cellulose in plants or chitin in
arthropods) or the sources of energy for plant development (e.g., starch).
Polysaccharides are routinely used in the food industry, most frequently as thickeners,
stabilizers of dispersions (emulsions, foams) or structuring agents of water and air
