Melibiose is a reducing disaccharide formed by an ñ-1,6 linkage between galactose and glucose (<small>D</small>-Gal-(ñ1âÂÂ6)-<small>D</small>-Glc). It differs from lactose in the chirality of the carbon where the galactose ring is closed and that the galactose is linked to a different point on the glucose moiety. It can be formed by invertase-mediated hydrolysis of raffinose, which produces melibiose and fructose. Melibiose can be broken down into its component saccharides, glucose and galactose, by the enzyme alpha-galactosidase, such as MEL1 from Saccharomyces pastorianus (lager yeast).
Melibiose cannot be used by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ale yeast), so this is one test to differentiate between the two yeast species.