RAPID-DETERMINATION OF SUGARS, NONVOLATILE ACIDS, AND ASCORBIC-ACID IN STRAWBERRY AND OTHER FRUITS

An analytical procedure to determine major sugars and organic acids, i ncluding vitamin C, in fruits was developed using a C-18 Sep-Pak clean up process and an ion exclusion HPLC column. Dual UV monitoring and re fractive index were performed for detection. To attain optimal separat ion and quantitation, 0.0085N H2SO4 was used as the mobile phase and t he column temperature was maintained at 23 degrees C. This procedure w as compared to others for the individual quantitation of sugars, organ ic acids, and vitamin C. Recovery and reproducibility of this analytic al procedure were quite acceptable for strawberry and four other commo n fruits, allowing the analysis of all the components using a single-i njection HPLC analysis in <22 min.