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Definition

noun

A sugar that serves as a reducing agent due to its free aldehyde or ketone functional groups in its molecular structure.

Supplement

Examples are glucose, fructose, glyceraldehydes, lactose, arabinose and maltose, except for sucrose.

Benedict’s reaction is used to determine the presence of a reducing sugar, i.e. when a mixture contains sugar it will turn green/orange/red after this test – an indication that the reducing sugar is present in the mixture.