Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Carbohydrates and Organic Acids in Foods of Animal Origin

Abstract

Carbohydrates are ubiquitous and range from simple monosaccharides to large complex polysaccharides. Organic acids are compounds with acidic properties. Both occur naturally in many foods and in fermented products. Organic acids are usually derived from the hydrolysis of carbohydrates by microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria convert carbohydrates into energy required for growth, since they are not equipped with the enzymes necessary for respiration and are unable to perform oxidative phosphorylation. Determination of carbohydrates and organic acids in foods of animal origin is important, since they contribute to flavor and texture. Their presence and proportions can affect the chemical and sensory characteristics of a food matrix and they can provide information on nutritional properties of food and the means to optimize selected technological processes. Furthermore, the levels of carbohydrate and organic acid are important to monitor bacterial growth and activity. Actually, these compounds can be quantified by several methods including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). High-performance liquid chromatography has been widely used to analyze carbohydrates and nonvolatile organic acids, while gas chromatography has been used to determine the volatile organic acids in complex matrices. This contribution provides an overview of chromatographic methods (HPLC and GC) used to analyze carbohydrates and organic acids in foods of animal origin.

Determination of Single Sugars, Including Inulin, in Plants and Feed Materials by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Refraction Index Detection

“…In contrast, chromatographic methods (gas-chromatography, GC, and high-performance liquid chromatography, HPLC), offer the advantage of the simultaneous detection of a variety of sugars with rapid, specific, and sensitive measurement. HPLC is mainly used for sugar analysis in foods [2,3]. Furthermore, HPLC is the most common chromatographic method for analysing these compounds in plants and feed materials.…”

Modeling of starter cultures growth for improved Thai sausage fermentation and cost estimating for sausage preparation and transportation

“…The metabolic pathways of carbohydrate are oxidative and glycolytic pathways. Postmortem glycolysis in muscle transforms glycogen, a multibranched polysaccharide of glucose and a main energy storage, into lactic acid (Pereira da costa & Conte‐Junior, ). Subsequently, the lactic acid generated is oxidatively converted back to pyruvate via the tricarboxylic acid cycle.…”

Gas chromatographic determination of some carboxylic acids: comparison between solution and headspace analysis

“…Short-chain carboxylic acids occur naturally in most beverages and in food, mainly in fermented products as a result of animal metabolism, hydrolysis and microbial activity during manufacture and storage [1][2][3]. Also, they are often added as food acidulants, flavouring agents and stabilizers as they reduce bacterial growth by lowering food pH and thus demonstrate the antimicrobial effect [4,5].…”

“…There are many methods to determine shortchain organic acids including titrimetric, spectrophotometric and enzymatic [3,11]. Individual short-chain carboxylic acids are determined using liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and gas chromatography (GC) [1,7,11]. Direct gas chromatographic determination of shortchain carboxylic acids is aggravated by high polarity of the analytes.…”