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Sucrose is a non-reducing disaccharide, consisting of an α-D-glucopyranosyl residue and a β-D-fructofuranosyl residue linked covalently by their respective anomeric carbons (α-D-glucopyranosyl-1,2-β-D-fructofuranoside). It is not just a simple disaccharide, among others: in fact, the energy of its glycosidic bond is higher than that of a usual glycosidic bond. It is equal to 27.6 kJ/mol, which is similar to the energy of a nucleotide-sugar bond as in UDP-glucose or ADP-glucose. This means that sucrose is a protected and activated form of D-glucose (as well as of D-fructose), which plays a key role in the metabolism of plants, for a wide variety of synthesis reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]