Determination of the neutral and acidic glycosyl-residue compositions of plant polysaccharides by GC-EI-MS analysis of the trimethylsilyl methyl glycoside derivatives

A method, using GC-EI-MS analysis of the trimethylsilyl methyl glycoside derivatives, has been developed to identify the neutral and acidic glycosyl-residue compositions of plant polysaccharides. Monosaccharides (15) including four pentoses (arabinose, xylose, 2-O-methylxylose, and apiose), three hexoses (galactose, glucose, and mannose), three 6-deoxy hexoses (rhamnose, fucose, and 2-O-methylfucose), two hexuronic acids (galacturonic and glucuronic acids), two 2-keto-3-deoxy sugars (Kdo and Dha), and aceric acid were quantified. The monosaccharide derivatives were identified by their retention times and by their characteristic GC-MS fragmentation patterns. These monosaccharides are components of plant cell wall polysaccharides and red wine polysaccharides. Thus, GC-MS analysis of trimethylsilyl methyl glycoside derivatives is suitable for determining the neutral and acidic glycosyl-residue compositions of plant cell wall polysaccharides and of polysaccharides present in plant-derived foods and beverages. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.