glucose (redirected from Glucose 1-phosphate)

glucose, dextrose, or grape sugar, monosaccharide sugar with the empirical formula C₆H₁₂O₆ . This carbohydrate occurs in the sap of most plants and in the juice of grapes and other fruits. Glucose is a normal component of animal blood; it thus requires no digestion prior to absorption into the bloodstream. Glucose can be obtained by hydrolysis of a variety of carbohydrates, e.g., milk and cane sugars, maltose, cellulose, or glycogen, but it is usually manufactured by hydrolysis of cornstarch with steam and dilute acid; the corn syrup thus obtained contains also some dextrins and maltose. Glucose is used in the manufacture of candy, chewing gum, jams, jellies, table syrups, and other foods, and for many other purposes. It is the major source of energy in animal metabolism. Glucose tastes only about three-fourths as sweet as table sugar (sucrose). The presence of glucose can be detected by use of Fehling's solution; various modifications of this test are used to detect glucose in urine, which may be a symptom of diabetes.

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glucose

 or dextrose or grape sugar or corn sugar

Organic compound, a simple sugar (monosaccharide), chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₆. The product of photosynthesis in plants, it is found in fruits and honey. As the major circulating free sugar in blood, it is the source of energy in cell function and a major participant in metabolism. Control of its level and metabolism is of great importance (see insulin). Glucose and fructose make up sucrose. Glucose units in long chains make up polysaccharides (e.g., cellulose, glycogen, starch). Glucose is used in foods, medicine, brewing, and wine making and as the source of various other organic chemicals.

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glucose

1. a white crystalline monosaccharide sugar that has several optically active forms, the most abundant being dextrose: a major energy source in metabolism. Formula: C₆H₁₂O₆

2. a yellowish syrup (or, after desiccation, a solid) containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrin, obtained by incomplete hydrolysis of starch: used in confectionery, fermentation, etc.

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Glucose

A monosaccharide also known as d -glucose, d -glucopyranose, grape sugar, corn sugar, dextrose, and cerelose. The structure of glucose is shown in the illustration.

Structural formula for α- D -glucose

Glucose in free or combined form is not only the most common of the sugars but is probably the most abundant organic compound in nature. It occurs in free state in practically all higher plants. It is found in considerable concentrations in grapes, figs, and other sweet fruits and in honey. In lesser concentrations, it occurs in the animal body fluids, for example, in blood and lymph. Urine of diabetic patents usually contains 3–5%.

Cellulose, starch, and glycogen are composed entirely of glucose units. Glucose is also a major constituent of many oligosaccharides, notably sucrose, and of many glycosides. It is produced commercially from cornstarch by hydrolysis with dilute mineral acid. The commercial glucose so obtained is used largely in the manufacture of confections and in the wine and canning industries. See Glycogen

d -Glucose is the principal carbohydrate metabolite in animal nutrition; it is utilized by the tissues, and it is absorbed from the alimentary tract in greater amounts than any other monosaccharide. Glucose could serve satisfactorily in meeting at least 50% of the entire energy needs of humans and various animals.

Glucose enters the bloodstream by absorption from the small intestine. It is carried via the portal vein to the liver, where part is stored as glycogen, the remainder reentering the circulatory system. Another site of glycogen storage is muscle tissue.

Glucose is readily fermented by yeast, producing ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. It is also metabolized by many bacteria, resulting in the formation of various degradation products, such as hydrogen, acetic and butyric acids, butyl alcohol, acetone, and many others. See Carbohydrate, Monosaccharide