Detection of oligosaccharides in sugar products using planar chromatography

Oligosaccharides, and in particular raffinose and kestoses, are of great im portance not only in the field of cane and beet processing but also in resp ect of the analyses of a number of agricultural raw materials and trade pro ducts. The authors judge it to be useful to have at one's disposal a simple and reliable analytical technique to be used for the detection of oligosac charides in different materials. Modern planar chromatography can be utiliz ed, bearing in mind that HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) plates, Automated Multiple Development, completely automated elution syste ms, sample positioning and spots detection apparatuses, are available. Deta ils on the analytical methodology adopted for molasses and other sugar prod ucts are presented and discussed also giving statistical data about its acc uracy and precision. Some examples of practical application of the proposed methodology are described. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.