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Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which sugar alcohols are made from glucose and mannose?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
A biochemical flowchart shows the metabolic pathways for carbohydrate utilization, including glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The diagram traces the conversion of glucose, fructose, and glycerol through various intermediates, leading to energy production, carbon dioxide release, and biosynthesis of amino acids and porphyrins. Key steps and branches are labeled, with colored boxes highlighting biosynthetic outputs.
Carbohydrate Pathways for the utilization of carbohydrates.

Sugar alcohols, also known as alditols, are produced through the reduction of monosaccharides by adding hydrogen to the aldehyde or keto group.12

The specific sugar alcohols derived from the sugars you mentioned are:

  • Sorbitol (also called d-glucitol) is formed by the reduction of glucose.12
  • Mannitol is formed by the reduction of mannose.12

Both of these compounds are widely used as sweetening agents in various food products.12