The key difference between erythrose and erythrulose is that erythrose is used by oxidative bacteria as an energy source, and it has a role as a plant metabolite, whereas erythrulose is useful as a skincare ingredient for a homogenous-looking skin tone.
Although the names erythrose and erythrulose sound similar, they are two different compounds with different chemical and physical properties. Besides, they have different chemical structures as well; erythrose is an aldose because it has an aldehyde functional group, while erythrulose is a ketose because it has a ketone functional group.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Erythrose
3. What is Erythrulose
4. Erythrose vs Erythrulose in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Erythrose vs Erythrulose
What is Erythrose?
Erythrose is an organic compound having the chemical formula C4H8O4. It is categorized as a tetrose saccharide. It has an aldehyde group and therefore is part of the aldose family. It has a D-isomer that naturally occurs and is the diastereomer of D-threose. This compound was isolated for the first time in 1849 from rhubarb by the French pharmacist Feux Joseph Garot. Thereafter, it was known as erythrose because of the red hue in the presence of alkali metals.
The molar mass of erythrose is 120.104 g/mol. It appears as a light yellow color syrup. Furthermore, it is highly soluble in water. The derivative erythrose 4-phosphate can be considered as an intermediate in the pentose phosphate pathway and in the Calvin cycle. Moreover, oxidative bacteria can be made to use erythrose as the sole energy source of it.
What is Erythrulose?
Erythrulose is an organic compound having the chemical formula C4H8O4. It can be categorized as a tetrose carbohydrate. It has one ketone group and therefore is part of the ketose family. This compound is useful in some self-tanning cosmetics, generally those that combine with dihydroxyacetone (DHA).
Both erythrulose and DHA can react with amino acids in the presence of proteins that occur in the first layers of the skin. One of these pathways includes free radicals at one step of the Maillard reaction, which is distantly involved with the browning effect in fruits such as apples when exposed to oxygen in the air. The second pathway is the conventional Maillard reaction. Both these pathways are involved in the browning during food preparation and storage.
Naturally, erythrulose occurs in red raspberries. However, when isolated, it appears like a pale-yellowish liquid. We can isolate it using aerobic fermentation using the bacterium Gluconobacter, which is followed by extensive multistep purification.
What is the Difference Between Erythrose and Erythrulose?
Erythrose and erythrulose are two different sugar compounds having an organic chemical structure. They have different chemical and physical properties as well as different uses. The key difference between erythrose and erythrulose is that erythrose is used by oxidative bacteria as an energy source, and it has a role as a plant metabolite, whereas erythrulose is useful as a skincare ingredient for a homogenous-looking skin tone. Moreover, erythrose has an aldehyde functional group; thus, it is an aldose, while erythrulose has a ketone functional group; thus, it is a ketose.
The below infographic presents the differences between erythrose and erythrulose in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Erythrose vs Erythrulose
Erythrose is an aldose, while erythrulose is a ketose. The key difference between erythrose and erythrulose is that erythrose is used by oxidative bacteria as an energy source, and it has a role as a plant metabolite, whereas erythrulose is useful as a skincare ingredient for a homogenous-looking skin tone.
Reference:
1. “Combating Pigment Spots for a Homogenous Skin.” COSSMA, 8 Oct. 2019.
Image Courtesy:
1. “L-Erythrose Molekülbaukasten 8774” By Bin im Garten – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “D-Erythrulose Molekülbaukasten 8801″ By Bin im Garten – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia