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oligosaccharide
biochemistry
- Related Topics:
- carbohydrate
- raffinose
- stachyose
- maltotriose
- gentianose
oligosaccharide, any carbohydrate of from three to six units of simple sugars (monosaccharides). A large number of oligosaccharides have been prepared by partially breaking down more complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides). plants
Most of the few naturally occurring oligosaccharides are found in plants. Raffinose, a trisaccharide found in many plants, consists of melibiose (galactose and glucose) and fructose. Another plant trisaccharide is gentianose. Maltotriose, a trisaccharide of glucose, occurs in some plants and in the blood of certain arthropods.