Evaluation of XBridge BEH amide columns for the analysis of five sugars in food and beverages

Sugars such as monosaccharides (fructose and glucose), and disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, and lactose) are routinely tested for in foods and beverages to ensure product consistency, safety, and authenticity. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is a common technique used for the analysis, as it allows for the separation of monosaccharides and disaccharides, providing information on the sugars present in a sample and their quantities.

In this application note, Waters Corporation compares the performance of two XBridge™ BEH Amide Columns with different particle sizes and column lengths for the analysis of five sugars, using a simple isocratic method. The Waters™ Column Calculator tool was used to transfer a previously published method from a 4.6 mm x 250 mm, 3.5 µm column to a 4.6 mm x 150 mm, 2.5 µm column. The result of this was a significant decrease in run-time and a reduction in mobile phase consumption. Method performance criteria such as linearity, USP peak resolution, and the precision of retention time and peak areas are compared for each column. An Arc™ HPLC coupled with a 2414 RI Detector was used to evaluate the performance of the isocratic method on both XBridge BEH Amide Columns.