Impact of hydrolysis conditions on the detection of mannuronic to guluronic acid ratio in alginate and its derivatives

Alginate is a linear and acidic polysaccharide, composed of (1 → 4) linked β-d-mannuronic acid (ManA) and α-l-guluronic acid (GulA). The ratio of ManA to GulA (M/G) is one of the most important factors for the application of alginate and its derivatives in various areas. In this work, a robust and accurate method was developed to analyze M/G using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). The impact of hydrolysis conditions on the release patterns of ManA and GulA from alginate and its derivatives was investigated. The release patterns of ManA and GulA need to be considered separately to obtain an accurate M/G. Several hydrolysis conditions were established that released ManA and GulA completely and maintained these saccharide residues intact. The proper M/G of alginates from different sources and its derivatives could then be calculated by integration of the corresponding ManA and GulA peaks.