Sorbose is a ketose belonging to the group of sugars known as monosaccharides. It has a sweetness that is equivalent to sucrose (table sugar).[1] The commercial production of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) often begins with sorbose. L-Sorbose is the configuration of the naturally occurring sugar. It can be prepared from inexpensive O-benzylglucose.
^Frihed, Tobias Gylling; Bols, Mikael; Pedersen, Christian Marcus (2015). "Synthesis of l-Hexoses". Chemical Reviews. 115 (9): 3615–3676. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00104. PMID25893557.