Question
Which one of the following is enriched with a non-reducing sugar?
Grapes
Germinating barley grains
Table sugar
Mother's milk
Solution
C.
Table sugar
Sucrose is a disaccharide. It is commonly known as sugar, table sugar, cane sugar or beet sugar. It is enriched with non- reducing sugars because it is a carbohydrate which is not oxidised by a weak oxidising agent in basic aqueaous solution, i.e., it does not generate any compounds containing an aldehyde group. Sugar found in other given options ore grapes glucose and fructose (in grapes), grains maltose in germinating barley and lactose in mother's milk are all enriched with a reducing sugar, i.e., they has an aldehyde group or are capable of forming one in solution through isomerism.
