Production Methods

Raffinose occurs naturally in Australian manna, cottonseed meal, and seeds of various food legumes. It can be isolated from beet sugar molasses through sucrose separation, seed-crystallization, and filtration.

Pharmaceutical Applications

Raffinose is a trisaccharide carbohydrate that is used as a bulking agent, blood substitute, stabilizing agent, and water scavenger in freeze-drying where it acts as a stabilizer for freeze-dried formulations. It is also used as a crystallization inhibitor in sucrose solutions.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Raffinose is a trisaccharide composed of galactose, fructose, and glucose. Raffinose is hydrolysed to D-galactose and sucrose by D-galactosidase.

Safety

Raffinose is a naturally occurring trisaccharide investigated for use in freeze-dried pharmaceutical formulations. It occurs in a number of plants that are consumed widely.

storage

Raffinose is stable under ordinary conditions of use and storage. Excessive heat should be avoided to prevent degradation. Thermal decomposition products are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Purification Methods

fructo-furanose [17629-30-0 (5H2O), 512-69-6 (anhydrous)] M 594.5, m 8 0o, 80 -82o, +124o (c 10, H2O), [ ] D +105o (c 1 for pentahydrate, H2O), pK 1 12.40, pK 2 13.44, pK 3 13.52. D(+)-Raffinose crystallises from H2O, 90% aqueous EtOH or MeOH as the pentahydrate. The anhydrous sugar has m 132-135o. It has RF 0.8 on TLC (Silica Gel, and 1:3:3 CHCl3/butanone:/MeOH). The undecaacetate has been purified through an alumina column by elution with CHCl3, and recrystallised from EtOH/MeOH/H2O (3:2:5), with m 99-100o, [] D +92.8o (c 5.14, EtOH). [pK : Coccioli & Vicedomini Ann Chim (Rome) 66 269, 275 1976, 1H NMR: Suami et al. Carbohydr Research 26 234 1973, Beilstein 17 III/IV 3801, 17/8 V 403.]

Incompatibilities

Raffinose is incompatible with strong oxidizers.

Regulatory Status

Raffinose is a naturally occurring trisaccharide and is consumed as part of a normal diet.