galactose

Also known as galacto-hexose

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.

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.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

50,171 papers

Galactose metabolism and health.ReviewCurrent opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care · 2015Coelho AI, Berry GT, Rubio-Gozalbo MEDOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000189
Enzymatic biosynthesis of D-galactose derivatives: Advances and perspectives.ReviewInternational journal of biological macromolecules · 2024Liu J, Feng X, Liang L et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131518
Galactose-1-phosphate in the pathophysiology of galactosemia.ReviewEuropean journal of pediatrics · 1995Gitzelmann RDOI: 10.1007/BF02143803
Galactose metabolism and ovarian toxicity.ReviewReproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) · 2000Liu G, Hale GE, Hughes CLDOI: 10.1016/s0890-6238(00)00096-4
[galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal)].Arerugi = [Allergy] · 2018DOI: 10.15036/arerugi.67.72
The Historiography of Galactose and Its Recognition by Galectins.ReviewAdvances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Hirabayashi J, Iwaki J, Sato SDOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-04153-1_11
The galactose regulon of Escherichia coli.ReviewMolecular microbiology · 1993Weickert MJ, Adhya SDOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01950.x
Enzyme-based amperometric galactose biosensors: a review.ReviewMikrochimica acta · 2017Kanyong P, Krampa FD, Aniweh Y et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00604-017-2465-z

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Wikidata facts

Mass: 180.16

Show 2 more facts

chemical formula: C₆H₁₂O₆
Commons category: Galactose

Sources (2)

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~8 min read

Article

13 sections

Contents

Occurrence
Relationship to lactose
Structure and isomerism
Metabolism
Sources
Clinical significance
History
Etymology
Spectroscopy
Further reading
See also
References
External links

==Occurrence== Galactan is a polymeric form of galactose found in hemicellulose, and forming the core of the galactans, a class of natural polymeric carbohydrates.