Is Dihydroxyacetone a Carbohydrate?

Since carbohydrates are aldehydes or ketones with two or more hydroxyl groups, the simplest monosaccharides are the three-carbon compounds glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which are shown in the figure below.

What type of carbohydrate is dihydroxyacetone?

Dihydroxyacetone is a ketotriose consisting of acetone bearing hydroxy substituents at positions 1 and 3. The simplest member of the class of ketoses and the parent of the class of glycerones.

Is dihydroxyacetone a sugar?

Commercially obtained from glycerol through microbial fermentation, over the acetic acid bacteria, 1,3‐dihydroxyacetone (DHA; 1,3‐dihydroxy‐2‐propanone) is the simplest ketone form of sugars (ketoses) and an important intermediate in carbohydrate metabolism in higher plants and animals formed during glycolysis.