xylose

American  

[zahy-lohs] / ˈzaɪ loʊs /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, crystalline pentose sugar, C 5 H 10 O 5 , derived from xylan, straw, corncobs, etc., by treating with heated dilute sulfuric acid, and dehydrating to furfural if stronger acid is used.

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xylose British  

/ ˈzaɪləʊz, -ləʊs /

noun

1. a white crystalline dextrorotatory sugar found in the form of xylan in wood and straw. It is extracted by hydrolysis with acids and used in dyeing, tanning, and in foods for diabetics. Formula: C 5 H 10 O 5

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xylose Scientific  

/ zī′lōs′ /

1. A white crystalline sugar extracted from wood, straw, and corn. It is used in dyeing and tanning and as a substitute for sucrose in diabetic diets. Chemical formula: C ₅ H ₁₀ O ₅ .

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Etymology

Origin of xylose

1890–95; < Greek xýl ( on ) wood + -ose ²

Explanation

Xylose is a type of sugar that's found in certain plants and is used to make artificial sweeteners. Xylose is notable because it tastes sweet but doesn't raise blood sugar levels. Xylose is the main ingredient in sugar substitutes like Xylitol. It's a sugar, strictly speaking (you can tell that from the -ose suffix, used in chemical names of sugars such as glucose and fructose). But unlike table sugar, or even the sugars in fruit, xylose doesn't cause a sharp spike in blood sugar when you consume it. In large quantities, however, xylose-sweetened foods can cause digestive upset. So take it easy on that sugar-free gum!

Example Sentences

The swashing effect begins when bacteria consume fermentable sugars such as glucose, maltose, or xylose.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

Glucose and xylose are the two most abundant sugars obtained from the breakdown of plant biomass such as agricultural wastes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024

The team started with basically a starvation diet of xylose, a sugar, along with formate and CO2.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2019

The authors administered trehalose to flies that lacked gut bacteria and had been provided with xylose isomerase, and report that the trehalose treatment caused the flies’ walking speed to increase.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

The wound gums, for example, yield arabinose, and the wood gums yield xylose.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Related Words

• carbohydrate