Quantification by LC-MS/MS of individual sugars in fruit juice consumed in Portugal

Abstract

To address the sugar contents in fruit juices, consumed in Portugal, a mass spectrometer coupled to a liquid chromatographer (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and optimized. The method offers good sensitivity and excellent linearity with a correlation coefficient above 0.995. The optimized method was applied to the analysis of fruit juice in terms of their sucrose, fructose and glucose content. The highest content of total sugars was found in red berries juice and pear juice, in contrast with multi-fruit juice. The results were lower than those previously published in the Portuguese Food Composition Table, indicating that the national campaign, presently in course, to reduce the amount of sugar in beverages is effective.