what is galactose
Galactose (galacto- + -ose, milk sugar), sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a monosaccharide sugar that is less sweet than glucose and fructose. It is a C-4 epimer of glucose. Galactan is a polymer of the sugar galactose found in hemicellulose.Galactan can be converted to galactose by hydrolysis.he hydrolysis of lactose to glucose and galactose is catalyzed by the enzymes lactase and Î²-galactosidase. The latter is produced by the lac operon in Escherichia coli. In nature, lactose is found primarily in milk and milk products.