/raf"euh nohs'/ , n. Biochem.
a colorless, crystalline trisaccharide, C 18 H 32 O 16 ·5H 2 O, with little or no sweetness, occurring in the sugar beet, cottonseed, etc., and breaking down to fructose, glucose, and galactose on hydrolysis. Also called gossypose, melitose, melitriose .
[ 1875-80; raffin ( er ) to refine (see RAFFINATE) + -OSE 2 ]