What is "ketose"

n. (context carbohydrate English) A saccharide containing a ketone functional group.

n. any monosaccharide sugar that contains a ketone group or its hemiacetal

A ketose is a monosaccharide containing one ketone group per molecule.

With three carbon atoms, dihydroxyacetone is the simplest of all ketoses and is the only one having no optical activity. Ketoses can isomerize into an aldose when the carbonyl group is located at the end of the molecule. Such ketoses are reducing sugars.