Kestose, determination

Kestose, Determination, in Plant Products (de Whalley and Gross). 1 307... 

Certainly, the most accurate determination of sucrose loss across any unit process in sugar manufacture would consist of analysis for a marker compound that is an end product of sucrose hydrolysis and monosaccharide degradation, and that could be directly related to sucrose loss. Unfortunately, no likely marker compound has been identified. Preliminary GC-MS analysis of MJ and 3rdS samples from this study indicate that most identifiable compounds (e.g., kestoses) are present in both MJ and 3rdS. 

These reports are still rather tentative and few in number, as no information has been available until recently on the structure and properties of the new compound. Albon, Bell, Blanchard, Gross, and Rundell (4) have now prepared a sufficiently large amount of kestose to determine most of its properties, and, in consequence, it can be expected that this new sugar will be reported in many more products. 

The best way of identifying and determining kestose in mixtures is by paper chromatography. 

Separation from the slightly slower moving rafiSnose is sufficient to enable the determination of the sugars in the presence of both. As own on page 324, the electrophoretic separation of kestose from raffinose and other oligosaccharides is likely to offer a better alternative in some cases. 

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