Monosaccharides (345)

Monosaccharides are molecules that cannot be further hydrolyzed into smaller sugar units. Based on the position of the carbonyl group, they are classified into aldoses and ketoses. Additionally, depending on the number of carbon atoms present, monosaccharides are categorized as trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses, or heptoses. Among these, pentoses and hexoses are the most abundant in nature. Examples include glyceraldehyde, a three-carbon sugar; erythrose and threose, four-carbon sugars; arabinose, ribose, xylose, and lyxose, five-carbon sugars; and glucose, mannose, fructose, and galactose, six-carbon sugars. In food, monosaccharides primarily consist of hexoses (six-carbon sugars).