A simple method for the analysis of trehalose using HPTLC

To overcome the presence of overlapping peaks of other sugars, in the thin-layer chromatographic analysis of trehalose content in sugar-rich products, high performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) separation was successfully standardised, using silica gel impregnated with phosphotungstic acid of pH 2.5, a solvent system of n-butanol: pyridine: water—8:4:3, and 6.5 mM N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride in methanol, containing 3% H2SO4 as the spraying agent. Commodities reported to be rich in trehalose were analysed by this method.