Progress in the pretreatment and analysis of carbohydrates in food: An update since 2013

Ion Chromatography and Related Techniques in Carbohydrate Analysis: A Review

Ion chromatography and related techniques have been the most popular separation methods used in the determination of organic and inorganic anions and cations, predominantly in water and wastewater samples. Making progress in their development and introducing new stationary phases, methods of detection and preparation of samples for analyses have given rise to the broadening of their analytical range. Nowadays, they are also used for substances that are not ionic by nature but can convert to such forms under certain conditions. These encompass, among others, carbohydrates, whose role and significance in humans' lives and environment is invaluable. Their presence in the air is mostly due to the industrial burning of biomass for energy production purposes. In addition, the content of sugars in plants, fruits and vegetables, constituting the base of human diets, affects our health condition. Given that, there is not only a need for their determination by means of routine methods but also for searching for novel analytical solutions. Based on literature data from the past decade, this paper presents the possibilities and examples of applications regarding ion chromatography and related techniques for the determination of carbohydrates in environmental samples, biomass and plants constituting food or raw materials for food production. Attention has been paid to the virtues and limitations of the discussed separation methods in this respect. Moreover, perspectives on their development have been defined.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: An update for 2021-2022

The use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry for the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates is a well-established technique and this review is the 12th update of the original article published in 1999 and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2022. As with previous review, this review also includes a few papers that describe methods appropriate to analysis by MALDI, such as sample preparation, even though the ionization method is not MALDI. The review follows the same format as previous reviews. It is divided into three sections: (1) general aspects such as theory of the MALDI process, matrices, derivatization, MALDI imaging, fragmentation, quantification and the use of computer software for structural identification. (2) Applications to various structural types such as oligo- and polysaccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosides and biopharmaceuticals, and (3) other general areas such as medicine, industrial processes, natural products and glycan synthesis where MALDI is extensively used. Much of the material relating to applications is presented in tabular form. MALDI is still an ideal technique for carbohydrate analysis, particularly in its ability to produce single ions from each analyte and advancements in the technique and range of applications show little sign of diminishing.

A novel and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of 6 low-calorie bulk sweeteners by HPLC-ELSD

A novel and sensitive method for the simultaneous analysis of six low-calorie bulk sweeteners (D-allulose, D-tagatose, D-mannitol, mycose, palatinose, and erythritol) without derivatisation was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD). Chromatographic separations were carried out on a Zorbax Original NH2 (5 μm particle size, 250 mm×4.60 mm id, 70 Å) column with flow rate gradient elution with acetonitrile: water (80:20, v/v). Drift tube temperature was set at 50 ℃, the nebuliser carrier gas flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, and nitrogen pressure was regulated to 276 kPa with gain:3. The regression equation showed good linearity (R2 = 0.9985-0.9998) for all six low-calorie bulk sweeteners in the tested range (0.060-0.60 mg·mL-1). The limits of detection (LOD) for the six low-calorie bulk sweeteners ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 mg·mL-1. The proposed HPLC-ELSD method was validated for the quantification of the low-calorie bulk sweeteners in 14 types of foods, and the results were satisfactory. In addition, the results showed that the number of sweeteners in each food product varied. The presence of multiple low-calorie bulk sweeteners in certain foods is interesting. This method is successful in monitoring low-calorie bulk sweeteners in food.

Analysis and detection using novel terahertz spectroscopy technique in dietary carbohydrate-related research: Principles and application advances

As one of the main functional substances, carbohydrates account for a large proportion of the human diet. Conventional analysis and detection methods of dietary carbohydrates and related products are destructive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. In order to improve the efficiency of measurement and ensure food nutrition and consumer health, rapid and nondestructive quality evaluation techniques are needed. In recent years, terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, as a novel detection technology with dual characteristics of microwave and infrared, has shown great potential in dietary carbohydrate analysis. The current review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of research advances in using the THz spectroscopy technique in analysis and detection applications related to dietary carbohydrates. In the review, the principles of the THz spectroscopy technique are introduced. Advances in THz spectroscopy for quantitative and qualitative analysis and detection in dietary carbohydrate-related research studies from 2013 to 2022 are discussed, which include analysis of carbohydrate concentrations in liquid and powdery foods, detection of foreign body and chemical residues in carbohydrate food products, authentication of natural carbohydrate produce, monitoring of the fermentation process in carbohydrate food production and examination of crystallinity in carbohydrate polymers. In addition, applications in dietary carbohydrate-related detection research using other spectroscopic techniques are also briefed for comparison, and future development trends of THz spectroscopy in this field are finally highlighted.

Development and Validation of HPLC-DAD Method with Pre-Column PMP Derivatization for Monomeric Profile Analysis of Polysaccharides from Agro-Industrial Wastes

The instrumental analysis of complex mixtures of sugars often requires derivatization to enhance the method’s selectivity and sensitivity. 1-Phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) is a common sugar derivatization agent used in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Although many C18 column applications for PMP–sugar derivative analysis have been developed, their transferability is not straightforward due to variations in column chemistry and preparation technology. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an application for Zorbax Extend C18 columns for the analysis of 8 neutral and 2 acidic sugars commonly found in plant polysaccharides. The method was further compared to well-established alditol acetates and m-hydroxydiphenyl methods and employed for sugar profiling of selected agro-industrial wastes. The most influential separation factors were the mobile-phase pH and acetonitrile content, optimized at 8.0 and a 12–17% gradient, respectively. The method showed excellent linearity, repeatability and intermediate precision. High sensitivity was achieved, especially for neutral sugars, with an accuracy error range of 5–10% relative standard deviation. The sugar profiling results were highly correlated to the reference method for neutral sugars. The HPLC method was highly applicable for the evaluation of polysaccharides in selected wastes and showed advantages in terms of simplicity, accuracy in acidic sugar determination and suitability for their simultaneous analysis with neutral sugars.