polysaccharides are polymers of the simple sugars and their derivatives. They may be either linear or branched polymers and may contain hundreds or even thousands of monosaccharide units.Their molecular weights range up to 1 million or more.polysaccharides are polymers of the simple sugars and their derivatives. They may be either linear or branched polymers and may contain hundreds or even thousands of monosaccharide units. Their molecular weights range up to 1 million or more