MadSci Network: Biochemistry
Query:

Re: Is there a way in which to test for reducing sugars except for benedicts.

Date: Fri Jan 7 11:27:07 2000
Posted By: Kevin Ramsey, Staff, Speciality Sweeteners, Chr. Hansen, Inc.
Area of science: Biochemistry
ID: 943770268.Bc
Message:

Reducing substances, in cane sugar for example, are sometimes also refered 
to as invert sugar.  Invert sugar, in cane syrup, are just the 
monosaccaride components of sucrose (glucose & fructose).  Reducing 
substances, on the other hand, are any components that have active aldehyde
ends or anomers that have the ability to reduce copper (Cu).  Sucrose 
cannot be considered a reducing sugar because the 1-2 linkage of glucose 
and fructose leave no aldehyde site available. 
The test most commonly used to determine Reducing substances in the 
Sweetener food industry is the Lane-Eynon General Volumetric Method.  You 
can find a copy of this method in the Official Methods of Analysis of the 
Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), 15th Edition under 
Method Number 923.09 (I also have this method on a Word document that I 
can post if necessary).  Basically it uses the reduction of copper (Cu) to 
determine the percent of Reducing Sugars in a sample.  You can also 
determine sucrose under Method Number 930.36.
The procedure used to determine the actual percentages of the two invert 
sugar monosaccarides, glucose and fructose, is High Performance Liquid 
Chromotography (HPLC).  It can determine the actual percent of 
monosaccarides, disaccarides (sucrose), trisaccarides (maltotriose), and 
higher.


Current Queue | Current Queue for Biochemistry | Biochemistry archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Biochemistry.



MadSci Home | Information | Search | Random Knowledge Generator | MadSci Archives | Mad Library | MAD Labs | MAD FAQs | Ask a ? | Join Us! | Help Support MadSci


MadSci Network, webadmin@www.madsci.org
© 1995-2000. All rights reserved.