Fructans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of carbohydrate composed of fructose units, typically found in many plants as a storage form of energy
2. These polysaccharides are primarily made up of fructose molecules and can serve as a dietary fiber source
3. Often occurring in foods like onions and garlic, they contribute to gut health by acting as prebiotics

Etymology: "Fructans" is the plural of "fructan," a term for chains of fructose molecules. The base word "fructose" combines the Latin "fructus," meaning fruit, with the chemical suffix "-ose," which marks sugars. The "-an" ending is a chemical naming convention used for polysaccharides, the large carbohydrate molecules built from many sugar units linked together. Because fructans are built from fructose, the name points to the sugar rather than to any particular plant. Many plants, including wheat, onions, garlic and chicory, store energy in these chains instead of starch, which is why the name describes a chemical family rather than a single substance.