Fucose is a Glyconutrient. There are 8 saccharides that make up this family:
Mannose
Glucose
Galactose
Xylose:
Fucose (not fructose)
N-acetylglucosamine
N-acetylneuramic acid
N-acetylgalactosamine
Fucose can be found in natural products like seaweed and echinoderms. From ancient times humans have consumed them. The original gelatin was often made from seaweed before artificial gelatin was developed.
When handling wet kelp you will experience a slimy sensation. This is largely due to fucoidans on the surface of the seaweed. When you pull apart the slime you will see long threads. These are the extended chains of fucoidan polysaccharides(including fucose)
Brown seaweed kelp is used to extract alginates for industrial, pharmaceutical, and food purposes but for a long time Fucoidans were not considered. Now research has revealed that Fucoidans have been found to have medicinal benefits like anticoagulants.
Fucoidans are made up mainly of the saccharide fucose. They have been found in brown marine algae and echinoderms like sea urchins and sea cucumbers. They are used in a number of medicines...