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Different low molecular weight carbohydrates including saccharides, polyalcohols, sugar acids, and glycosides have been identified and quantified in different edible vegetables from Asteraceae, Amarantaceae, Amarylidaceae, Brassicaceae, Dioscoreaceae, and Solanaceae families by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. Apart from glucose, fructose, and sucrose, other saccharides such as sedoheptulose in chicory, spinach, cabbage, purple yam, eggplant, radish, and oak leaf lettuce, rutinose in eggplant skin, and a glycosyl-inositol in spinach have been identified. chiro-Inositol was found in all vegetables of the Asteraceae family (3.1−32.6 mg 100 g−1), whereas scyllo-inositol was detected in those of purple yam, eggplant, artichoke, chicory, escarole, and endive (traces−23.2 mg 100 g−1). α-Galactosides, kestose, glucaric acid, and glycosyl-glycerols were also identified and quantified in some of the analyzed vegetables. Considering the bioactivity of most of these compounds, mainly chicory leaves, artichokes, lettuces, and purple yam could constitute beneficial sources for human health.

Removal of interfering LMWCs from inositol-enriched extracts was successfully achieved using a clean and easily scalable fractionation methodology. This biotechnological procedure not only represents high interest for the production of bioactive food ingredients but for applications in other research areas.

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The use of room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) as green solvents is an emerging and innovative technology, which is quickly expanding in carbohydrate chemistry. However, information about solubility of low molecular weight carbohydrates (LMWC) in ILs is still scarce. This study provides new solubility data for several LMWC dissolved in methylimidazolium-based ILs. Different solubility values have been obtained for carbohydrates depending on their structure. In general, ketoses are more soluble than their corresponding aldoses, and trisaccharides are more soluble than mono-and disaccharides, although some exceptions have been observed depending on the tested IL. [BMIM][MeSO 4 ] and [HMIM][Cl]acted both as solvent and as catalyst for dehydration of ketoses (fructose and tagatose) into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural at 318 K. These findings pointed out the potential of ILs as an interesting alternative solvent for new applications in applied carbohydrate chemistry.

Low molecular weight carbohydrates in pine nuts from Pinus pinea L. (n = 7) have been studied by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry as their trimethylsilyl oximes. Besides previously reported components, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, and raffinose, several soluble carbohydrates have been identified for the first time in this product, including saccharides (galactose, maltose, and planteose) and cyclitols (pinitol, galactinol, galactopinitol A1, fagopyritol B1, and other glycosyl-inositols). Most abundant cyclitols were chiro-inositol, fagopyritol B1, and pinitol, with concentrations ranging from 126.7 to 222.1 mg (100 g) −1 , 94.2 to 177.1 mg (100 g) −1 , and 51.2 to 282.8 mg (100 g) −1 , respectively.

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