Quantification of glucose, xylose, arabinose, furfural, and HMF in corncob hydrolysate by HPLC-PDA–ELSD

Lignocellulose and other carbohydrates are being studied extensively as potential renewable carbon sources for liquid biofuels and other valuable chemicals. In the present study, a simple, sensitive, selective, and reliable HPLC method using a photodiode array (PDA) detector and an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of important sugars (d(+)-cellobiose, glucose, xylose, and arabinose), furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in lignocellulose hydrolysate. The analysis was carried out on an Aminex HPX-87H column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size). Ultra-pure water with 0.00035 M H2SO4 was used as the mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The temperature of the ELSD drift tube was kept at 50 °C, the carrier gas pressure was 350 kPa, and the gain was set at 7. Furfural and 5-HMF were quantified on a PDA detector at 275 nm and 284 nm, respectively. The sugar concentrations were determined by ELSD. This method was validated for accuracy and precision. The regression equation revealed a good linear relationship (r2 = 0.9986 ± 0.0012) within the test ranges. The method showed good reproducibility for the quantification of six analytes in corncob hydrolysate, with intra- and inter-day variations less than 1.12%. This method is also convenient because it allows the rapid analysis of the primary products of biomass hydrolysis and carbohydrate degradation.

Graphical abstractPDA and ELSD chromatogram of standards: DC sugar, glucose, xylose, and arabinose. Six sugars were well separated by the Aminex HPX-87H column with HPLC-ELSD.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► A PDA and an ELSD was used for simultaneous determination of the components in lignocellulose hydrolysate. ► The method showed good reproducibility for the quantification of six analytes.