Classical Methods for Food Carbohydrate Analysis

Carbohydrates are among the most important ingredients in foods and raw materials. The analytical methods for food carbohydrate are useful for food quality assurance and product standardization. Classical analytical methods of food carbohydrates, in terms of principles, operation procedures, and applicability, are summarized in the current chapter. The classical methods are mainly divided into three categories—total sugar analysis (phenol-sulfuric acid assay, anthrone-sulfuric acid methods, and methodology for uronic acid and reducing sugar analysis), monosaccharides analysis (enzymatic methods, anion-exchange chromatography, and gas-liquid chromatography), and structure characterization (partial acid hydrolysis, Smith degradation, and methylation analysis). Some widely used physical methods as well as methods for dietary fibre analysis are also covered in this chapter.