QUANTITATION OF SUGARS FROM DIFFERENTIAL CULTURE MEDIA BY GAS-LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Certain sugar alcohols and reducing sugars are added to agar or carrageenan culture media for purposes of identifying specific gram-negative bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae). These sugars can be separated and quantitated reliably by the use of gas-liquid chromatography. The reducing sugars, after extraction, are converted to their aldononitrile acetates, whereas the extracted sugar alcohols are converted to their corresponding alditol acetates. Oxalic acid is added in the extraction of the reducing sugars to inhibit side reactions and to prevent chelation. Xylitol is observed to be an effective internal standard. Linearity of response is confirmed by data representing three different levels of sugar content in the culture media. © 1979 Academic Press, Inc.