| Description | D-(+)-Raffinose is a trisaccharide composed of galactose, glucose, and fructose that occurs naturally in a variety of vegetables and grains. It is hydrolyzed to galactose and sucrose by α-galactosidase. |
| Chemical Properties | Raffinose is a white crystalline powder. It is odorless and has a sweettaste approximately 10% that of sucrose. |
| Uses | moisturizes and smoothes skin, prevents skin ageing, promotes skin regeneration: non-digestible with lower efficiency than lactose or sucrose; prebiotic stimulates growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria; additive in low-cariogenic food or drinks |
| Uses | D-(+)-Raffinose is a trisaccharide built from 1 mol each of D-galactose, D-glucose, and D-fructose which are obtained from it by acid hydrolysis. Invertase splits it into melibiose and saccharose. D-(+)-Raffinose occurs in Australian manna; in cottonseed meal. |
| Production Methods | Raffinose occurs naturally in Australian manna, cottonseed meal,and seeds of various food legumes. It can be isolated from beet sugarmolasses through sucrose separation, seed-crystallization, andfiltration. |
| Pharmaceutical Applications | Raffinose is a trisaccharide carbohydrate that is used as a bulkingagent, blood substitute, stabilizing agent, and water scavenger infreeze-drying where it acts as a stabilizer for freeze-dried formulations. It is also used as a crystallization inhibitor in sucrosesolutions. |
| Biochem/physiol Actions | Raffinose is a trisaccharide composed of galactose, fructose, and glucose. Raffinose is hydrolysed to D-galactose and sucrose by D-galactosidase. |
| Safety | Raffinose is a naturally occurring trisaccharide investigated for usein freeze-dried pharmaceutical formulations. It occurs in a numberof plants that are consumed widely. |
| storage | Raffinose is stable under ordinary conditions of use and storage.Excessive heat should be avoided to prevent degradation. Thermal decomposition products are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. |
| Purification Methods | fructo-furanose [17629-30-0 (5H2O), 512-69-6 (anhydrous)] M 594.5, m 8 0o, 80 -82o, +124o (c 10, H2O), [ ] D +105o (c 1 for pentahydrate, H2O), pK 1 12.40, pK 2 13.44, pK 3 13.52. D(+)-Raffinose crystallises from H2O, 90% aqueous EtOH or MeOH as the pentahydrate. The anhydrous sugar has m 132-135o. It has RF 0.8 on TLC (Silica Gel, and 1:3:3 CHCl3/butanone:/MeOH). The undecaacetate has been purified through an alumina column by elution with CHCl3, and recrystallised from EtOH/MeOH/H2O (3:2:5), with m 99-100o, [] D +92.8o (c 5.14, EtOH). [pK : Coccioli & Vicedomini Ann Chim (Rome) 66 269, 275 1976, 1H NMR: Suami et al. Carbohydr Research 26 234 1973, Beilstein 17 III/IV 3801, 17/8 V 403.] |
| Incompatibilities | Raffinose is incompatible with strong oxidizers. |
| Regulatory Status | Raffinose is a naturally occurring trisaccharide and is consumed aspart of a normal diet. |
