galactose
Sign in to saveGalactose (, galacto- + -ose, sometimes abbreviated Gal), is a common monosaccharide, i.e. a simple sugar. It is classified as a reducing hexose, more specifically an aldohexose. In terms of structure, it is a C-4 epimer of glucose. A white, water-soluble solid, it is about 80–90% as sweet as glucose and about 65% as sweet as sucrose.
AI overview
Galactose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally and is structurally very similar to glucose, the sugar your body uses for energy. It's less sweet than table sugar, appears as a white powder that dissolves in water, and is important because it's a building block of lactose, the main sugar found in milk.
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Article
13 sectionsContents
- Occurrence
- Relationship to lactose
- Structure and isomerism
- Metabolism
- Sources
- Clinical significance
- History
- Etymology
- Spectroscopy
- Further reading
- See also
- References
- External links
Galactose (, galacto- + -ose, sometimes abbreviated Gal), is a common monosaccharide, i.e. a simple sugar. It is classified as a reducing hexose, more specifically an aldohexose. In terms of structure, it is a C-4 epimer of glucose. A white, water-soluble solid, it is about 80–90% as sweet as glucose and about 65% as sweet as sucrose.
==Occurrence== Galactan is a polymeric form of galactose found in hemicellulose, and forming the core of the galactans, a class of natural polymeric carbohydrates.