Fructose Benedicts test! .. Reducing sugar ? or not??!

Question

Some people say fructose is a reducing sugar as it gives a positive test with Benedict's, Some people say it isn't as it is not an aldehyde sugar and it is a ketone sugar. I was trying to find out why there is this conflict and according to this website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict it does reduce cu2 to cu but is not a reducing sugar as it is an alpha hydroxy ketone. What is an alpha hydroxy ketone? and who is right? Thanks!

Answer 1

Don't get bogged down with confusion it is a reducing sugar as determined by the Benedict's Test.

Reducing sugars include glucose, fructose, glyceraldehyde, lactose, arabinose and maltose. All monosaccharides which contain ketone groups are known as ketoses, and those which contain aldehyde groups are known as aldoses.