Quantitative Analysis of Carbohydrates by LC/MS

Introduction

A variety of separation and detection methods are available for the HPLC analysis of saccharides. Typical separation techniques for carbohydrate analysis include normal phase distribution and ligand exchange. Differential refractive index detection and post-column fluorescence derivatization are known to be effective for detection. In carbohydrate analysis using LC/MS, derivatization is often used to improve detection sensitivity. However, to circumvent this cumbersome derivatization operation for ESI, solvent is added after column using APCI to allow ionization of low-polarity compounds. This solvent addition promotes ionization, thereby allowing stable ion detection. Here we introduce examples of quantitative analysis of carbohydrates in foods using post-column solvent addition.

December 2, 2010 GMT