Revista Chapingo. Serie Horticultura vol:11 issue:2 pages:193-202
Trehalose (a-D-glucopyranosil-(1,1)-a-D-glucopyranoside) is a non-reducing disaccharide, formed by two molecules of glucose. It is present in a broad spectrum of different organisms playing roles as reserve carbohydrate and conferring tolerance to abiotic stress. It posses broad biotechnological applications, since it is able to protect proteins and biological membranes, which allows its use for preserving foods, enzymes, vaccines, cells, tissues and organs, and can also substitute sucrose in confitery and bakery. The presence of this disaccharide in plants, has several functions, where besides of being an osmoprotectant it plays an essential role in several developmental stages, such as embryo maturation and flowering. Trehalose also is involved in regulating carbon metabolism and photosynthesis, and its accumulation is related with tolerance to abiotic stresses. Finally, this sugar seems to perform an essential role in the plant-microorganism interaction.