raffinose

carbohydrate

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July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Raffinose is a crystalline, slightly sweet sugar with the chemical formula C₁₈H₃₂O₁₆. It is a type of oligosaccharide, meaning it is a carbohydrate composed of three to six simple sugar units. Raffinose is found in many plant products and is commercially obtained from cottonseed meal.12

It consists of galactose, glucose, and fructose units. While carbohydrates are a major source of energy for the body, oligosaccharides like raffinose are not well digested by humans and can cause gas.23

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human nutrition
Other sugars and starch
, raffinose and stachyose), which contains three to 10 saccharide units; these compounds, which are found in beans and other legumes and cannot be digested well by humans, account for the gas-producing effects of these foods. Larger and more complex storage forms of carbohydrate are the…
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, raffinose and stachyose), which contains three to 10 saccharide units; these compounds, which are found in beans and other legumes and cannot be digested well by humans, account for the gas-producing effects of these foods. Larger and more complex storage forms of carbohydrate are the…
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oligosaccharide
Raffinose, a trisaccharide found in many plants, consists of melibiose (galactose and glucose) and fructose. Another plant trisaccharide is gentianose. Maltotriose, a trisaccharide of glucose, occurs in some plants and in the blood of certain arthropods.
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Raffinose, a trisaccharide found in many plants, consists of melibiose (galactose and glucose) and fructose. Another plant trisaccharide is gentianose. Maltotriose, a trisaccharide of glucose, occurs in some plants and in the blood of certain arthropods.
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