Volemitol is a naturally occurring seven-carbon

sugar alcohol Sugar alcohols (also called polyhydric alcohols, polyalcohols, alditols or glycitols) are organic compounds, typically derived from sugars, containing one hydroxyl group (–OH) attached to each carbon atom. They are white, water-soluble solids ...

. It is a substance widely distributed in plants, red algae,

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

, mosses, and lichens. It was also found in

lipopolysaccharide Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide that are bacterial toxins. They are composed of an O-antigen, an outer core, and an inner core all joined by a covalent bond, and are found in the outer ...

s from '' E. coli''. In certain higher plants, such as ''

Primula ''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the primrose ('' P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common species are '' P. auricula'' (auricula), '' P. veris'' (cow ...

'', volemitol plays several important physiological roles. It functions as a photosynthetic product,

phloem Phloem (, ) is the living tissue in vascular plants that transports the soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis and known as ''photosynthates'', in particular the sugar sucrose, to the rest of the plant. This transport process is c ...

translocate, and storage

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

. It is used as a natural sweetening agent. Volemitol was first isolated as a white crystalline substance from the mushroom ''

Lactarius volemus ''Lactifluus volemus'', formerly known as ''Lactarius volemus'', is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, in temperate regions of Europe, North America and Asia as well as some sub ...

'' by the French scientist Émile Bourquelot in 1889.E. Bourquelot, ''Bull. Soc. Mycol. Fr.'', 5 (1889) 132.

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* {{Alcohols Sugar alcohols Sugar substitutes

See also

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