Standard Lemma guide

fructan

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any homopolysaccharide composed of fructose residues

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • 2000, Nordic Council of Ministers, Safety evaluation of fructans, TemaNord, page 17, Fructans are also produced by algae, fungi and bacteria (Nelson & Smith, 1986) There is a substantial variation in both linkage types and number of carbohydrate monomers making up the fructans. The functionality, if any, of the different fructan structures is as yet not clear.
  • 2010, Peter J. O'Brien, Cynthia Y. Feng, Owen Lee, Q. Dong, Rhea Mehta, Jeff Bruce, W. Robert Bruce, 7: Fructose-Derived Endogenous Toxins, Peter J. O'Brien, William Robert Bruce (editors), Endogenous Toxins: Targets for Disease Treatment and Prevention, Volume 1, Wiley (Wiley-VCH), page 176, Fructose can also exist in the diet as fructans and dietary sugar alcohols. Fructans (fructo-oligosaccharides) are polymers of fructose molecules that are not absorbed by the intestine but are metabolized by anaerobic colonic bacteria.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: fructà — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • French: fructane — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Italian: fruttano — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Polish: fruktan — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Portuguese: frutano — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Spanish: fructosano — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Spanish: fructano — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues
  • Welsh: ffrwctan — polysaccharide composed of fructose residues