Stachyose

Stachyose is an tetrasaccharide consisting of two D-galactose units, one D-glucose unit, and one D-fructose unit sequentially linked. Stachyose is naturally found in numerous vegetables (e.g. green beans, soybeans and other beans) and plants.

Stachyose is less sweet than sucrose, at about 28% on a weight basis. It is mainly used as a bulk sweetener or for its functional oligosaccharide property. Stachyose is not completely digestible by humans and delivers 1.5 to 2.4 kcal/g (6 to 10 kJ/g).

References

• Nakakuki, T. Present status and future of functional oligosaccharide development in Japan. Pure and Applied Chemistry 2002, 74, 1245-1251. Article

stachyose = galactose + raffinose