According to the Food Labeling Standards of the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan, foods may be labeled as “non-sugar” or “sugar free” if saccharide content is below 0.5 g per 100 mL or 100 g of the food. For sugar analysis, general-purpose detectors with low selectivity such as refractive index (RI) detectors or evaporative light scattering detectors (ELSD) are often used. However, when saccharide concentration is very low as in non-sugar beverages, a mass spectrometer, which offers high selectivity and high sensitivity, is more effective. In this application, a commercial carbonated beverage labeled non-sugar was analyzed. Saccharides were separated using a polymer-based HILIC column, HILICpak VG-50 2D, and quantified by an LC/MS. The non-sugar beverage tested was confirmed to contain less than 0.5 g of saccharides per 100 mL.

Sample preparation

1. (1)Degas non-sugar beverages for 5 minutes to remove carbonation. Then, filter through a 0.2-µm membrane filter.
2. (2)Dilute 1+999 with 75 % acetonitrile aqueous solution and use as LC/MS sample.

Sample: 1 µL
Mixed standard solution (0.5 mg/L each in 75 % Acetonitrile aqueous solution)

1. 1.Rhamnose
2. 2.Arabinose
3. 3.Xylose
4. 4.Fructose
5. 5.Galactose
6. 6.Glucose
7. 7.Sucrose
8. 8.Lactose
9. 9.Maltose

Sample: 1 µL
Pre-treated non-sugar beverage

1. 6.Glucose
2. 8.Lactose
3. 9.Maltose

Data provided by Shimadzu Corporation.
For more detailed information, please read here.