Indirect UV detection of carbohydrates in capillary zone electrophoresis by using tryptophan as a marker

A rapid and sensitive method for the analysis of sugars was developed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with indirect UV detection. A mixture of nine mono- and oligosaccharides was separated in about 20 minutes on a fused silica capillary in a highly alkaline (pH > 12) background electrolyte (BGE). With tryptophan as the marker detected at 280 nm the femtomole level detection of sugars was possible. The system was optimized by studies on the buffer pH, the marker concentration, as well as the inner diameter of the capillary. The indirect detection of sugars was also performed with a cationic marker, N-benzylcinchonidium chloride (BCDC). However, the detection sensitivity was much lower in comparison to the tryptophan marker system.