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Title: APPLICATION OF A NEW GC-MS METHOD FOR DETERMINING ESTER CONTENTS FOLLOWING ALKALINE OR ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF SUGAR BEET PULP AND PECTIN

Author
item Savary, Brett
item Nunez, Alberto

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2004
Publication Date: 8/1/2004
Citation: Savary, B.J., Nunez, A. 2004. Application of a new gc-ms method for determining ester contents following alkaline or enzymatic hydrolysis of sugar beet pulp and pectin. Meeting Abstract in Proceedings of the Sugar Processing Research Institute Conference, p.449-453.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A new gas chromatography method with mass selective detection is reported here that applies three innovations for analysis of pectin esters - stable deuterated isotopomers, a Carboxen-PDMS solid-phase microextraction fiber, and headspace sampling - and separations based on a PoraPLOT Q capillary column. This method provides for simple, fast, and simultaneous determination of the methanol and acetic acid released by pectin hydrolysis, and it can be applied to other classes of similarly esterified polysaccharides. This method has been further demonstrated as capable for detecting and simultaneously measuring enzyme activities of pectin acetylesterase and methylesterase. Finally, this method provides an important new analytical technology for use in research directed to developing new bioproducts from sugar beet cell wall polysaccharides and for monitoring enzyme activities in food and beverage processing. The method's details, its evaluation, and summary features are presented.