Gulose is an aldohexose sugar. It is a monosaccharide that is very rare in nature, but has been found in archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. It also exists as a syrup with a sweet taste. It is soluble in water and slightly soluble in methanol. Neither the - nor -forms are fermentable by yeast.
<small>D</small>-Gulose is a C-3 epimer of <small>D</small>-galactose and a C-5 epimer of <small>L</small>-mannose.