What is "triose"

Triose \Tri"ose\, n. [Tri- + -ose.] (Chem.)

1. A sugar derived from a trihydric alcohol.

2. A trisaccharide.

n. (context chemistry English) A sugar or saccharide containing three carbon atoms. Trioses are the smallest monosaccharides. Dihydroxyacetone and L- / D-glyceraldehyde are the only trioses.

n. any monosaccharide sugar containing three atoms of carbon per molecule

A triose is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar, containing three carbon atoms. There are only three possible trioses: L-Glyceraldehyde and D-Glyceraldehyde, both aldotrioses because the carbonyl group is at the end of the chain, and dihydroxyacetone, a ketotriose because the carbonyl group is the center the chain.

Trioses are important in cellular respiration. During glycolysis, fructose-1,6-diphosphate is broken down into glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Lactic acid and pyruvic acid are later derived from these molecules.