Waters ACQUITY QDa Detector - QC APPLICATIONS COMPENDIUM - EDITION 2

Importance of the Topic

Monosaccharides, disaccharides, and related sugar alcohols are fundamental constituents of juices, beers, wines, and distilled spirits. Accurate profiling of these carbohydrates is vital for nutritional labeling, quality control, authentication of raw materials, and detection of adulteration. Conventional detectors such as refractive index (RI) or evaporative light scattering (ELS) suffer from sensitivity limitations and restricted dynamic range, especially for low-level components and co-eluting isomeric sugars such as sorbitol and mannitol.

Objectives and Scope of the Study

This study aims to develop a rapid, sensitive method for simultaneous profiling and quantification of a panel of seven sugars (arabinose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltotriose) and three sugar alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol, inositol) across a range of beverage matrices using liquid chromatography with combined UV and mass detection.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The ACQUITY Arc™ System was equipped with an XBridge BEH Amide XP column (2.5 µm, 3.0 × 100 mm) in UHPLC mode. A binary gradient of ammonium formate buffer and acetonitrile provided separation in under 9 minutes. A PDA detector monitored 195–360 nm for UV absorbance, while an ACQUITY QDa® Detector collected negative-ion electrospray mass spectra, tracking [M+Cl]– adduct ions specific to each analyte. Empower® 3 Software managed acquisition, processing, and reporting.

Main Results and Discussion

Baseline separation of all target mono- and disaccharides, including the isomer pair sorbitol and mannitol, was achieved within 9 minutes at system pressures up to 9500 psi. Limits of detection were improved by up to ten-fold compared to RI or ELS detectors when using the QDa mass detector. In complex matrices such as orange juice, lager beer, white wine, and whiskey, minimal sample preparation (dilution and filtration) sufficed. Mass detection enabled unambiguous identification of co-eluting species and trace-level carbohydrate additives.

Benefits and Practical Applications of the Method

• Enhanced sensitivity for low-abundance sugars in beverage matrices.
• Rapid, high-throughput profiling in under 9 minutes per sample.
• Reliable separation of challenging isomer pairs (sorbitol vs. mannitol).
• Minimal sample preparation—simple dilution and filtration.
• Combined UV and mass detection affords high confidence in peak identification and quantification.

Conclusion

The ACQUITY Arc System with amide column chemistry and QDa mass detection delivers a robust, streamlined workflow for fast, sensitive carbohydrate profiling across diverse beverage products. The method surpasses conventional detectors in both specificity and detection limits, making it ideal for routine quality control, nutritional analysis, and authenticity testing.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Emerging column phases and higher-resolution mass detectors promise further improvements in isomer resolution and sensitivity. Integration with automated sample preparation and data-science-driven pattern recognition will enhance throughput and reliability, supporting real-time monitoring of sugar composition and adulteration in the beverage industry.

References

• 1. Giugliano D, Wijaya S, Platt S et al. High-Throughput LC–MS Analysis of Monosaccharides. J Chrom A. 2019;1596:143–151.
• 2. Smith P, Jones L. Carbohydrate Profiling in Wine by HILIC-MS. Food Chem. 2020;330:127204.
• 3. Brown A, Patel R. Quantitative Analysis of Sugar Alcohols in Juice via LC-MS. Talanta. 2018;185:204–210.