. "The chemical reactions and pathways involving monosaccharides, the simplest carbohydrates. They are polyhydric alcohols containing either an aldehyde or a keto group and between three to ten or more carbon atoms. They form the constitutional repeating units of oligo- and polysaccharides." . . "monosaccharide metabolism" . "monosaccharide metabolic process" . . . . . . . . . . .