Showing chemical card for β-D-xylopyranose (CFc000338069)
Record Information
Version
1.0
Creation Date
Update Date
2022-09-14 05:32:17 UTC
Chemfont ID
CFc000338069
Molecule Identification
Common Name
β-D-xylopyranose
Definition
Xylose or wood sugar is an aldopentose, a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms and an aldehyde functional group. It has chemical formula C5H10O5 and is 40% as sweet as sucrose. It is a white powder with a smoky odor and a smoky, sweet, salty, coffee taste ( http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1005221.html#tophyp). The polysaccharide xylan, a hemi-cellulose, consists almost entirely of D-xylose. Xylan is found in 30 % of most plants. Xylose, though, is pervasive as it is found in the embryos of most edible plants. Corncobs, cottonseed hulls, pecan shells, and straw contain considerable amounts of this sugar as well as the plants of apple, apricot, caper, celery, fenugreek and wheat. It is found in apple, banana, grape, guava, orange, raspberry and plum ( http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1005221.html#tooccur). Xylose in the urine is a biomarker for the consumption of apples and other fruits. Xylose is also found in mucopolysaccharides of connective tissue. Xylose is the first sugar added to serine or threonine residues during proteoglycan type O-glycosylation. Therefore, xylose is involved in the biosynthetic pathways of most anionic polysaccharides such as heparan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate. In medicine, xylose is used to test for malabsorption by administering a xylose solution to the patient after fasting. If xylose is detected in the blood and/or urine within the next few hours, it has been absorbed by the intestines. Xylose is said to be one of eight sugars which are essential for human nutrition, the others including galactose, glucose, mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine, fucose, and sialic acid.
