The most nutritionally important and abundant monosaccharide is glucose, which is used as the major cell fuel in the human body and can be found unbound in body tissues and fluids. Glucose is the building block of several polysaccharides. Galactose and fructose are also used as cell fuel.

What makes glucose a monosaccharide?

Glucose is a monosaccharide containing six carbon atoms and an aldehyde group, and is therefore an aldohexose. The glucose molecule can exist in an open-chain (acyclic) as well as ring (cyclic) form. Glucose is naturally occurring and is found in fruits and other parts of plants in its free state.

How many monosaccharides are there in glucose?

Food carbohydrates have to be broken down to monosaccharides before they can be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and they also circulate in blood in monosaccharide form. There are 3 monosaccharides: Glucose.