What is "ribitol"

n. (context carbohydrate English) The sugar alcohol ''(2R,3s,4S)-pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol'' formed by the reduction of ribose

Ribitol or adonitol is a crystalline pentose alcohol (CHO) formed by the reduction of ribose. It occurs naturally in the plant Adonis vernalis, as well as in the cell walls of Gram positive bacteria (specifically, as ribitol phosphate, in teichoic acids). It also contributes to the chemical structure of riboflavin and flavin mononucleotide (FMN), which is a nucleotide coenzyme, present in the enzyme glycolate oxidase.