Extraction method by water followed by microwave heating for analyzing sugars in strawberry fruits

Abstract

The sugar contents of strawberry fruits extracted by the conventional ethanol method were compared with those extracted with water followed by microwave heating. Sucrose, glucose, fructose and total sugar contents did not differ significantly between the two methods. The time for the water extraction method required approximately half that needed for the conventional ethanol method. Sugar metabolizing enzymes are inactivated by boiling in a microwave oven. In this method, frozen fruits should be chopped, quickly weighed at a low temperature, and the pieces immediately heated in a microwave oven. After strawberry fruits are heated in a microwave oven, they could be processed at a room temperature. Thus, the water extraction method followed by microwave heating is less time consuming but equally accurate for measuring the concentration and composition of soluble sugars in strawberry fruits.