L-Arabinose is a common component in a plant cell wall and is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. It is a main component of cereal hemicellulose, such as corn, wheat, rye, and rice, pectic substances of beet and apple pulps, and some plant gums. The sugar occurs in the free state in the heartwood of coniferous trees, but its small amounts have been found also in several foods and beverages made from cereals and other plant sources such as bread, miso, beer and tea. L-Arabinose is produced by the mild acid hydrolysis of some plant gums, corn fiber, and beet pulps. The taste of L-arabinose is quite similar to sucrose, but approximately half the sweetness . Naturally occurring arabinose is an L-form, and it is not metabolized in animals; thus it is a noncaloric sugar . Furthermore, it strongly inhibits intestinal sucrase uncompetitively and consequently inhibits the absorption of sucrose from the small intestine. The addition of 2-3% of L-arabinose to sucrose causes about a 60% reduction of the digestion of sucrose in the small intestine. The nondigested sucrose and L-arabinose, possibly metabolized by intestinal microbes, produce short-chain fatty acids and thus function similar to dietary fiber. L-Arabinose, by this function, reduces the increase of the levels of blood sugar, insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol by the ingestion of sucrose . Therefore it has great merits as a sweetener and a food additive to improve the obesity and to maintain good health .