EXTRACTION, PURIFICATION PROCEDURES AND HPLC-RI ANALYSIS OF CARBOHYDRATES IN OLIVE (OLEA-EUROPAEA L) PLANTS

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of carbohydrates in olive (Olea europaea L.) tissues have been carried out by HPLC-RI. Sample purifica tion was by two successive solid-liquid extractions to remove complete ly plant phenolics and pigments. Five carbohydrate peaks; sucrose (sta chyose + raffinose + sucrose), glucose, galactose, fructose (fructose + myo-inositol) and mannitol were detected when plant extracts were ru n on a Sugar SC 1011 column operating at 75-degrees-C, using water as eluent 0.5 ml min-1. The use of two serial Sugar SC 1011 columns opera ting at 90-degrees-C and eluting the plant extracts with H2O-CH3CN (95 /5 v/v) enables identification and quantification of nine carbohydrate s, including tetra and tri-saccharides.