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Carbohydrase acts on carbohydrates of which are made from the elements and carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. After reacting these elements are arranged into rings, where 1 ring is a monosaccharide, 2 rings are disaccharides, many rings are polysaccharides. (The greater number of rings, the less reactive the compound becomes) There are two main types of enzymes to speed reactions being: catabolism enzymes which break down molecules; anabolism enzymes of which build up a molecule from smaller molecules.

Carbohydrases are any enzymes which act on a carbohydrate where it is either catabolism or anabolisim. They are a group of enzymes that either promote the synthesis of or hydrolyse carbohydrates into disaccharide molecules. Some examples are maltases (maltose), amylases (starch), sucrases (sugars) and lactases (lactose).

Carbohydrates + Water (with carbohydrase enzyme)--> Simple Sugars (such as glucose)

Example

Maltase reduces maltose into glucose: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ + H₂O --> 2C₆H₁₂O₆
Maltose + Water --> α-Glucose