Stachyose is an oligosaccharide (tetrasaccharide) consisting of two D-galactoseunits, one D-glucoseunit, and one D-fructose unit sequentially linked. Its molecular weight is 666.6 g/mol. Stachyose is naturally found in many vegetables (e.g. green beans, soybeans and other beans) and plants.

Stachyose is less sweet than sucrose, with about 28% on a weight basis. It is mainly used as a bulk sweetener or for its functional oligosaccharide property. Stachyose is not completely digestible by humans and deliver 1.5 to 2.4 kcal/g (6 to 10 kJ/g).

References

• Nakakuki, T. Present status and future of functional oligosaccharide development in Japan. Pure and Applied Chemistry 2002, 74, 1245-1251. ^*

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Carbohydrates

Stachyose