Purity >98%. Salic acids are nine-carbon carbohydrate Alpha-keto acids that have many important biological functions, including cell-cell recognition and host-pathogen interactions. N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) is the most abundant sialic acid and is found in bacteria as well as in eukaryotic cells. The pathways for NANA synthesis and metabolism in bacteria differ from those used in eukaryotic cells. This sialic acid is an essential component of human brain gangliosides and sialylated glycoproteins.