A high‐throughput method using Ultra‐Performance Liquid Chromatography to determine water‐soluble carbohydrate concentrations in pasture plants

Abstract

The determination of water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations in forages is important for quantifying forage feed quality as WSC is not only a major source of energy but is also associated with the grazing preferences of forages and subsequent intake by livestock. This study describes a high‐throughput ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method to analyse WSC concentrations of various forage samples. The application of the new method is demonstrated by investigating the WSC concentrations in (i) temperate forages at different tiller heights, and (ii) summer forage crops grown under rain‐fed and irrigated conditions. The UPLC method provided a more descriptive, specific and precise analysis of WSC concentration compared to the colorimetric method. Grass tiller height had a significant effect on total WSC concentration and individual sugar. With increasing tiller height, sucrose concentration increased and fructan and total WSC concentrations decreased. While irrigation treatment increased the dry‐matter yield of all nine summer forage crops analysed, there was no consistent effect of irrigation on WSC concentration.

Blending studies using wheat and lentil cotyledon flour—Effects on rheology and bread quality

“…Samples were prepared using the method described by Maharjan, Jacobs, Deighton, and Panozzo () with modification. For individual sugar analysis, 0.2 g of flour was weighed into Teflon tubes and suspended in 5 ml of reverse osmosis (RO) water.…”

“…UPLC ELSD data were analyzed using Empower 3 software to identify water‐soluble carbohydrate compounds and calculate peak area. Concentration of sugars was determined via calibration curves and individual peak area compared to the retention times and quantification of external standards (Maharjan et al., ).…”

Water‐soluble carbohydrates during fermentation and baking of composite wheat and lentil flour—Implications for enhanced functionality

“…All standards were validated by a UPLC/QDa mass detector (Waters Corporation, Medford, MA, USA). Concentration of sugars was determined using power curves constructed from external standards and individual peak area (Maharjan et al, ). The raffinose power curve was used in the quantification of ciceritol, due to a lack of a commercially available ciceritol standard as previously reported by Berrios et al () and Martín‐Cabrejas et al ().…”

“…Carbohydrate extraction was performed using the method described by Maharjan, Jacobs, Deighton, and Panozzo (2018) with modification. Individual sugar was analyzed using 0.4 g of ground sample, weighed into Teflon tubes, and suspended in 5 ml of reverse osmosis (RO) water.…”

Editorial: Grass and Forage Science – 75 years of impact and service to the science of grasslands

“…The tradition of publishing papers that describe new methods for measuring existing traits such as lignin (van Parijs et al, 2018) or water-soluble carbohydrates (Maharjan et al, 2018) in the laboratory in more appropriate or efficient ways has continued, along with the extension of laboratory-based techniques such as near-infrared spectroscopy to direct application in the field (Starks & Brown, 2018) area of science, with potential application across the continuum from breeding to precision farm management, should issues around data management, storage and analysis be resolved.…”