A method for rapid determination of sugars in lignocellulose prehydrolyzate

A simple and rapid dual-wavelength spectroscopic method is used for simultaneous determination of pentoses and hexoses in the prehydrolyzate from lignocellulosic biomass. The method is based on the following reaction mechanism: in the solution of hydrochloric acid, phloroglucinol gives color reaction with sugars or their degradation products, showing maximum absorbance at 553 nm and 410 nm. Based on dual-wavelength spectrophotometric measurement, the pentoses and hexoses can separately be quantified. It was found that the derivatives from these two different sugars have an isosbestic point at 425 nm. According to the validation results, high accuracy and reasonable recovery rate is shown with the present method (pentoses recovery 97.1 to 100.0%, hexoses recovery 97.2 to 102.0%). Additionally, the interferences from substances including lignin, furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), glucuronic acid, and galacturonic acid are insignificant. All of the above results illustrate the suitability of this method for analyzing sugars in the lignocelluloses prehydrolyzate, especially hardwoods or herbaceous plants, based on forest-related biorefinery research.