d-xylose

D-xylose is a naturally occurring monosaccharide of the aldopentose type with five carbon atoms and an aldehyde functional group. It is commonly found in wood and plant materials and is sometimes referred to as "wood sugar." D-xylose is used primarily as a diagnostic agent in medicine for the D-xylose absorption test to assess intestinal malabsorption. The test measures how well the intestines absorb this simple sugar by tracking its presence in blood or urine after oral ingestion. In food science, D-xylose serves as a nutritive sweetener and flavoring agent—especially for diabetic or calorie-restricted diets—because it provides sweetness with fewer calories than sucrose. It also plays a role in biosynthetic pathways of glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate due to its involvement in proteoglycan O-glycosylation[1][4][5][9].

Brand names

Osaxyl

Other names

xylosed-(+)-xylosewood sugar2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentanal