Simultaneous determination of sugars, carboxylates, alcohols and aldehydes from fermentations by high performance liquid chromatography

Abstract

Despite the rise of ‘omics techniques for the study of biological systems, the quantitative description of phenotypes still rests to a large extent on quantitative data produced on chromatography platforms. Here, we describe an improved liquid chromatography method for the determination of sugars, carboxylates, alcohols and aldehydes in microbial fermentation samples and cell extracts. Specific emphasis is given to substrates and products currently pursued in industrial microbiology. The present method allows quantification of 21 compounds in a single run with limits of quantification between 10 -7 and 10 -10 mol and limits of detection between 10 -9 and 10 -11 mol.