Merck, 83650-250G, L-Rhamnose monohydrate

General description
Rhamnose is a deoxy sugar and got its name from the plant Buckthorn (Latin: Rhamnus) where it was isolated. The L-Rhamnose is the naturally predominant sugar form. In nature the rhamnose can be found, additionally to Buckthorn in poison Sumac, plants of the genus Uncaria and in microalgae belonging to class Bacillariophyceae (diatoms).In nature rhamnose is often found linked to other sugars. It is a common component of glycosides from many plants and found in the peptidoglycan of the cell wall of acid-fast bacteria in the Mycobacterium genus.
Rhamnose can also be fermented by several microorganisms like E. coli, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Klebsiella and some species of Salmonella. Acid production from rhamnose is a characteristic phenotype of Listeria monocytogenes. Therefore, rhamnose can be used for differentiation and identification of bacteria, it is used in media like Rhamnose broth or Phenol red Rhamnose broth.

Application
L-Rhamnose monohydrate is used in many media formulations such as Rhamnose broth or Phenol red Rhamnose broth to facilitate differentiation of bacteria that can ferment the sugar and those that cannot.
An understanding of the rhamnose-containing polysaccharides present in the cell walls of certain bacteria can enable us to identify biosynthetic pathways that can further be used as potential targets for antibacterial therapy.