n. The hydrolysis of soluble polysaccharides to form simple sugars
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. The process of converting (starch, dextrine, etc.) into sugar, as by malting.
Word Usage
"The energy is bound up in the cellulose (especially the hemicellulose), which has to be freed from the inert lignin and then converted into sugars (a process called, naturally enough, saccharification), which can then be fermented into ethanol."