A non-conventional vaporization method, using laser ablation of solid NaCl doped with d-erythrose, has been used to bring this sugar into the gas phase for rotational study. The jet cooled rotational spectrum of this C4 monosaccharide reveals the existence of two furanose forms, one α envelope and one β twist. Cooperative hydrogen bond networks and the anomeric effect have been found to be the main stabilization factors of the detected structures.