The formose which was obtained from formaldehyde in the presence of base was a mixture of sugars and sugar alcohols containing over 30 components. The formose reaction has drawn much attention for 122 years from several standpoints; the chemical synthesis of edible carbohydrates from C1compounds, an important process in the recycling of carbon sources during sustained space flights, and as a model for the prebiotic synthesis of monosaccharides. Nevertheless, because of the complexity of this product mixture (Fig. 1b), the formose reaction has not been completely elucidated and the product (so called formose) has not been useful yet. During the long formose history few products were isolated from the formose mixture and identified, except in work from our laboratories.