Extraction,purification procedures and HPLC-RI analysis of carbohydrates in olive (Olea europaea L.) plants

Summary Qualitative and quantitative analyses of carbohydrates in olive (Olea europaea L.) tissues have been carried out by HPLC-RI. Sample purification was by two successive solid-liquid extractions to remove completely plant phenolics and pigments. Five carbohydrate peaks; sucrose (stachyose + raffinose + sucrose), glucose, galactose, fructose (fructose + myo-inositol) and mannitol were detected when plant extracts were run on a Sugar SC 1011 column operating at 75°C, using water as eluent 0.5 ml min⁻¹. The use of two serial Sugar SC 1011 columns operating at 90°C and eluting the plant extracts with H₂O−CH₃CN (95/5 v/v) enables identification and quantification of nine carbohydrates, including tetra and tri-saccharides.