Also known as malt sugar, maltose is formed by uniting two units of glucose that provide the first link in a process that eventually results in the creation of starch. Maltose is an important component in the process of creating fermented barley that in turn can be used to brew beer. Adding in a third unit of glucose produces a sugar that is known as maltotriose, while further units make it possible to produce maltodextrins. All these steps create concentrations of sweet product that can be used in a number of different food applications, in addition to producing beer.

Creating maltose in nature is not difficult at all. Using barley as the base, the process begins with allowing the barley to germinate. Malting the germinated barley helps to increase the concentration of amylases in the material, which in turn will produce the maltose. Moving on through the brewing process, the amylases are crushed. This action releases the agents and allows the fermentation process to form the environment where the maltose begins to break down the barley and prepare it for use in creating the beer.

The produced maltose is added to yeast as the fermentation process continues. Water-soluble sugar forms and when introduced into the liquid stages of the process helps to release both ethanol and carbon dioxide. Assuming the mix of maltose sugar and the yeast is correct, the beer that results from the process will be smooth, full bodied, and tasteful.

Maltose can also be artificially created in a laboratory. This is accomplished by heating the medium with the addition of a strong acid for roughly ten minutes. Because heating can accelerate the process of preparing maltose for use in the creation of beverages, many large-scale producers choose to use this method as a means of creating large batches of product.

Maltose is not a substance that should be consumed as a separate sweetener in the same manner as table sugar. However, maltose is an excellent additive to many different types of packaged foods, including non-alcoholic beverages.