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How can polysaccharides contain thousands of monosaccharide units?

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Tall, dense stalks of sugarcane grow on both sides of a narrow path, with green leaves arching overhead and sunlight illuminating the plants. — sugar Lines of sugarcane before harvest.

Polysaccharides are able to contain thousands of monosaccharide units because they are formed through polymerization reactions, specifically a process known as a condensation reaction.2

In this process, individual monosaccharide molecules—such as glucose—are linked together to form long, complex chains. For every chemical linkage formed between two monosaccharide units, one molecule of water is eliminated. This allows the molecules to aggregate into high-molecular-weight polymers that can consist of as many as 10,000 units.12

These structures can be either linear, as seen in cellulose, or branched, as seen in glycogen and amylopectin, allowing for significant variation in size, shape, and biological function.341