DETERMINATION OF NEUTRAL SUGARS IN MYCOBACTERIAL CELL-WALLS BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of neutral sugars in mycobacterial cell walls was developed. Cell wall samples were hydrolysed in either 1 N H2SO4 for 5 h at 100+/-2 degree s C or 4 N TFA for 4 h at 100+/-2 degrees C. The hydrolysed samples we re applied to an ion moderated partition column using water as the elu ent, and the column effluent was monitored by refractive index detecti on. Using acid treated neutral sugar standards the minimum calibration curve r(2) value was 0.996, the coefficient of variation of multiple determinations averaged 5.2% and the detection limit for each analyte was 0.2 mu g.