Isolation and Characterization of Oligosaccharides from Honey. Part I. Disaccharides

Abstract

The disaccharides maltose, kojibiose, isomaltose, nigerose, neotrehalose, gentiobiose and laminaribiose were isolated from honey and characterized as crystalline octaacetates. Sucrose and turanose were obtained in the crystalline form and maltulose as the crystalline osazone. Isomaltulose and 1-α-glucosylfructose were tentatively identified. The approximate proportions of these sugars in the oligosaccharide fraction (3·65%) of the honey have been calculated, as follows: maltose, 29·4%; kojibiose, 8·2%; turanose, 4·7%; isomaltose, 4·4%; sucrose, 3·9%; ketose band (mixture of at least three ketoses including maltulose and isomaltulose), 3·1%; nigerose, 1·7%; neotrehalose, 1·1%; gentiobiose, 0·4% and laminaribiose, 0·09%.