Structure of Glucose & Furanose

Glucose is frequently found in processed candy.

Sugar and its atomic representation in the form of glucose can be found in most modern day foods. However, depending on how glucose is created, the atomic structure of the food building block can be comprised of a different number of elements. One such structure is known as a furanose.

Background

Sugars in general are created as a number of similar molecules that bind together. In the food categories, sugars are labeled as carbohydrates. This categorization is intentional since sugar falls into a matter that gives its construction to a combination of carbon and water. Table sugar, for example, would be represented atomically as C6(H2O)11 where the C stands for carbon and the H2O provides the elemental representation for water. The difference in sugars tends to be how many atoms of carbon or water are involved. Starch on the other hand looks like Cn(H2O)n-1.

Furanose Defined

A furanose is not on the elemental table like carbon, for example; the term instead represents a type of elemental structure, specifically a five-member atomic ring. Generally the five-element makeup consists of four carbon pieces and one for oxygen. In terms of stability and keeping structure together, furanoses tend to fall apart faster than pyranoses, the next higher level of elemental structure with six elements connected.

Glucose and Furanose Structures

Glucose combinations are not limited to just one structure. Typically glucose appears as a pyranose rather than a furanose structure. That said, glucose can at times occur with only five pieces.

What Structure Means

For the layman, whether a glucose molecule is structured by five members or six members probably doesn't mean much on its face. However, typical monosaccharides frequently have furanose structures. This is another name for simple sugars. Corn syrup represents an example of a monosaccharide. Ripe fruit and honey also contain monosaccharide sugars. Monosaccharide foods are the purest of natural sugars and they absorb into the body the fastest, providing fuel and energy via metabolism.

Cons and Downsides

Furanose-structured glucose, or monosaccharide sugars, are commonly added to foods to provide sweetness. Eating them, people may immediately feel full of zip and energy. However, glucose in this form does not provide any long-lasting benefit, and the energy boost quickly disappears. A common example of a monosaccharide, furanose-structured glucose food tends to be found in chocolate bars.

References

• Michigan State University, Department of Chemistry: Carbohydrates
• University of Virginia: Furanose Monosaccharides
• The World's Healthiest Foods: A New Way of Looking at Protiens, Fats, and Carbohydrates