Stachyose (Molecule of the Month for April 2020)
Tetrasaccharide, Galactose-Galactose-Glucose-Fructose
Stachyose is a tetrasaccharide consisting of two α-D-galactose units, one α-D-glucose unit, and one β-D-fructose unit sequentially linked as gal(α1→6)gal(α1→6)glc(α1↔2β)fru. Together with related oligosaccharides such as raffinose, Stachyose occurs naturally in numerous vegetables (e.g. green beans, soybeans and other beans) and other plants.
A tetrasaccharide is a carbohydrate which gives upon hydrolysis four molecules of the same or different monosaccharides. For example, stachyose upon hydrolysis gives one molecule each of glucose and fructose and two molecules of galactose. The general formula of a tetrasaccharide is typically C24H42O21.
Stachyose is less sweet than sucrose, at about 28% on a weight basis. It is mainly used as a bulk sweetener or for its functional oligosaccharide properties.
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Stachyose structure
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Update by Karl Harrison
(Molecule of the Month for
April 2020
)
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