Reducing sugar

Definition

A reducing sugar is a type of carbohydrate that possesses free aldehyde or ketone groups, which allows it to act as a reducing agent in chemical reactions. These sugars can participate in oxidation-reduction reactions, typically changing color when reacting with specific reagents.

Related terms

Monosaccharide: The simplest form of carbohydrates that cannot be hydrolyzed further to give simpler units of polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone.

Glycosidic Bond: A type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another molecule, which can be another carbohydrate or another type of molecule like a protein.

Benedict's Solution: An alkaline solution used as a test for the presence of reducing sugars; these sugars change the color of the solution from blue to red or orange when present