Category:Levulose

Lev"u*lose`, n. Etym: [See Levo-.] (Chem.)

Defn: A sirupy variety of sugar, rarely obtained crystallized, occurring widely in honey, ripe fruits, etc., and hence called also fruit sugar. It is called levulose, because it rotates the plane of polarization to the left. [Written also lævulose.]C6H12O6.

Note: It is obtained, together with an equal quantity of dextrose, by the inversion of ordinary cane or beet sugar, and hence, as being an ingredient of invert sugar, is often so called. It is fermentable, nearly as sweet as cane sugar, and is metameric with dextrose. Cf. Dextrose.