Analysis of sugar in wort, beer and other beverages by means of HPAEC-PAD
This method is suitable for wort, beer and other beverage.
Using a strongly alkaline eluent, carbohydrates are ionized and separated and quantified using an appropriate ion exchange column.
The carbohydrates are detected amperometrically. By applying a potential, the ions are oxidized at a gold electrode and induce a measurable charge. To prevent the electrode from being occupied in a very short time, the potential is then reversed to reduce and release the ions from the electrode.
The main components of wort are the fermentable sugars, monosaccharides, disaccharides and trisaccharides. Saccharomyces cerevisiae brewing yeast requires fermentable and assimilable sugars through oxidation, primarily glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose and maltotriose, whereby wort is composed of predominantly maltose. Carbohydrates make up approximately 90 % of wort, 74 % of which is fermentable sugars. The total sugar concentration of a 12 %, standard-strength wort made from pale malt is 88 g/l on average.