Widely known as maltose, this compound plays a key role in the food industry as a mild sweetener in confectionery, baked goods, and syrups due to its lower sweetness compared to sucrose and its ability to enhance flavor and texture. It serves as an important intermediate in starch digestion and is used in microbial fermentation processes to produce ethanol and other biochemicals. In pharmaceutical formulations, it acts as a stabilizer and cryoprotectant for proteins and vaccines during freeze-drying. Its reducing properties make it valuable in analytical chemistry and enzymatic assays for detecting amylase activity. Additionally, it supports cell growth in culture media, particularly in microbiology and biotechnology applications.