Determination of Total Sugar and Reducing Sugar in Processed Fructus Trichosanthis

Objective:To establish a method for determination of total sugar and reducing sugar in processed Fructus Trichosanthis,and to detect and compare the content of sugars with the methods.Method: The content of total sugar and reducing sugar was determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid(DNS) method,respectively.Result: The content of total sugar and reducing sugar was 16.17%-32.65% and 3.29%-13.29%,respectively,in 18 batches of processed Fructus Trichosanthis purchased from 15 provinces.Conclusion: These methods are easily operated and reliable.The content of total sugar and reducing sugar in processed Fructus Trichosanthis with good quality is above 25% and 9%,respectively.The content of total sugar and reducing sugar can explain the traditional opinion that Fructus Trichosanthis with higher sugar content is of better quality.