Nowadays sugar substitutes are used in many products, not only for diabetic purposes but to make products more attractive for customers. Furthermore, people are interested in a healthier lifestyle which includes consuming less sugar. Therefore, quality control of sugar and sugar substitutes in food and beverages is compulsory to assure the correct labelling of products and composition of ingredients. Using KNAUER Eurokat columns in combination with an electrochemical detector expands the application area of carbohydrate analysis.
Sweet taste is favoured by human beings. People instinctively desire the pleasure of sweetness, which resulted in a preference for sweet foods and beverages1 . Since sugar is rich in calories, a lot of people are switching to light products containing sugar substitutes. These products contain less calories and are often obtained from natural crude materials, e.g. wood fibres of the birch. This application focuses on the determination of commonly used sugars and natural sugar substitutes. Sucralose (E 955) is a high-intensity sweetener, about 600 times higher than saccharose. Mannitol (E 421) and sorbitol (E 420) have about half the intensity of saccharose, while xylitol (E 967) has a quite equal intensity as commonly used sugar2. In KNAUER application VFD0160 the separation of saccharose, sucralose, glucose, fructose, mannitol, xylitol and sorbitol was performed and detection was carried out via the measurement of the refractive index using the AZURA RID 2.1L. The following application reproduces the measurements using electrochemical detection with post column sodium hydroxide addition to enhance the sensitivity.
>> Download the Full Application Note as a PDF
Newsletters
Receive the latest analytical scientist news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.
