Development and Validation of an Analytical Method for the Quantification of Arabinose, Galactose, Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose, and Maltose in Fruits, Vegetables, and Their Products

The paper presents a method for the simultaneous determination of arabinose, galactose, glucose, sucrose, fructose, and maltose in fruits, vegetables, and their products using ion chromatography-pulsed amperometric detection on a gold working electrode. Sample preparation involved simple extraction, dilution with water, and filtration before injection into the system. Separation of the analytes was performed with gradient elution on a Thermo Scientific CarboPac PA20 Analytical Column (3.0 × 150 mm) and a Guard column (2 mm × 50 mm) with a mobile phase. The optimized parameters were an eluent concentration of 10 mmol/L, a column temperature of 30 °C, and a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. In methodological evaluation, parameters (selectivity, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), relative standard deviation (RSD), recovery percentages, and CV%) resulted in compliance with reference values at each level of fortification. All validation parameters were acceptable in the characterization of sugars in fruits, vegetables, and their products. After method validation, we analyzed the sugar content in fresh and dried jujube. The method was accurate, reliable, and reproducible and can be used for the determination of arabinose, galactose, glucose, sucrose, fructose and maltose in fruits, vegetables, and their products.