Determination of monosaccharides in cider by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the simultaneous determination of aldoses and uronic acids in cider, previously derivatized with p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester (ABEE). Narrow-bore C8 columns are recommended as this alternative provides good separation efficiency, along with greater economy and sensitivity. Detection limits for aldoses (glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, fucose, and rhamnose) and uronic acids (D-glucuronic acid and D-galacturonic acid) range between 82 and 182ngml-1. The ABEE derivatives are separated in 29min. Recovery studies showed good results for all solutes (90-102%). The method is linear for all compounds over the concentration range tested, and precision was found to be satisfactory (R.S.D.<5%).