Liquid chromatographic determination of sugar alcohols in beverages and foods after nitrobenzoylation

Use of p-nitrobenzoyl chloride (PNBC) to form an ultraviolet-absorbing deri vative was attempted to determine the sugar alcohols meso-erythritol, xylit ol, D-sorbitol, and D-mannitol by liquid chromatography (LC). LC determinat ion of derivatives was performed on an ODS column with acetonitrile-water ( 65 + 35) as mobile phase. Calibration curves were linear in the concentrati on range 0.01-100 mu g/mL. Method sensitivity is 10 to 1000 times higher th an that of LC with refractive index detection and gas chromatography with f lame ionization detection, Recoveries of sugars added to various foods at 0 .1 and 1% ranged from 91 to 102% for meso-erythritol, 75 to 115% for xylito l, 81 to 105% for D-sorbitol, and 81 to 108% for D-mannitol.