ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analysis and research on dietary fiber and related complex carbohydrates. HPLC detectors are flow-through devices designed to continuously monitor the eluent exiting from the analytical column and generate an output signal proportional to the concentration or mass of each of the analytes as they pass through the detector cell. Future developments in column and detector technology should result in even wider use of HPLC both for automated routine dietary fiber determinations and in research applications. HPLC techniques also lend themselves to the analysis and identification of natural and synthetic carbohydrate food ingredients for which methods have previously been lacking. In dietary fiber research, the compatibility of the high performance anion exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection technique with gradient elution is proving to be a powerful tool for fundamental studies on cellwall carbohydrates since it makes possible the high-resolution separation of oligo- and polysaccharide chains.
