RAPID AND SIMPLE METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF SUGAR ESTERS

A procedure is described for a simple and highly sensitive quantitative assay of various sucrose and glucose ester mixtures extracted from plant tissue surfaces and of certain synthetic sugar esters of commercial importance. The method involves staining sugar esters with Rhodamine B followed by spectrophotometric detection of the ''complexed'' stain. The only instrumentation required consists bf a colorimeter, spectrophotometer, and microplate reader or, alternatively (for higher sensitivity), a spectrofluorometer. The minimum detectable level at A(550nm) is 10 mu g, while that measuring fluorescence is O.1 mu g. The stain does not appear to differentiate among sugar ester types.