Fructose, or
fruit sugar, is a simple
ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to
glucose to form the
disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and
galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during
digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist
Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847. The name "fructose" was coined in 1857 by the English chemist William Miller. Pure, dry fructose is a very sweet, white, odorless, crystalline solid and is the most water-soluble of all the sugars. Fructose is found in
honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers,
berries, and most root vegetables.