A monosaccharide of the aldopentose type, which means that it contains five carbon atoms and includes an aldehyde functional group.
It is derived from hemicellulose, one of the main constituents of biomass.
It is a reducing sugar.
It is the main building block for the hemicellulose xylan, which comprises about 30% of some plants, far less in others.
Xylose is the first saccharide in biosynthetic pathways of most anionic polysaccharides such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate.
It is metabolized by humans, although it is not a major human nutrient and is largely excreted by the kidneys.
Obtained from their dietary intake.
Xylose contains 0 calories per gram.
Reduction of xylose by catalytic hydrogenation produces the sugar substitute xylitol.