Used in biochemical research as a model compound for studying glycosidic linkages and carbohydrate metabolism. It serves as a substrate in enzymatic assays involving glycosidases and glycosyltransferases, helping to understand enzyme specificity and mechanism. Also utilized in the development of synthetic pathways for complex oligosaccharides found in glycoproteins and bacterial cell walls. Its structural stability makes it suitable for NMR and crystallography studies aimed at characterizing carbohydrate-protein interactions.