Analysis Case: Analysis of Sugars

Here are examples of qualitative and quantitative analysis of sugar.

The UV absorption of sugars is very small, so methods using differential refractive index (RI) detectors and evaporative light scattering detectors (ELSD) are commonly employed for measurement. Additionally, there are methods that involve labeling sugars for measurement with UV detectors or fluorescence detectors. Here, we present examples of qualitative and quantitative analysis of sugar standard samples and sugars contained in coffee using RI detectors and ELSD. (1) Example of sugar analysis using RI detectors This is an example of analyzing standard samples of monosaccharides and disaccharides (such as glucose and sucrose) and oligosaccharide standard samples. (2) Example of sugar analysis using ELSD An example where oligosaccharide standard solution was mixed with glucose, glucosamine, and sucrose using ELSD, followed by gradient analysis (mobile phase: acetonitrile/distilled water = 80/20 → 50/50 (v/v)). In a single analysis, glucose, glucosamine, sucrose, and oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization up to 10 were detected. (3) Example of sugar analysis in commercial beverages This is an example of quantifying sugars in commercially available coffee. It was found that black coffee primarily contains mannose and manno-biose as sugars, while low-sugar coffee mainly contains sucrose.

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