Determining Total Sugar Content in Maple Syrup to Meet FDA Nutrition Labeling Requirements

This Application Note shows a total sugar analysis method for commercially available maple syrup using the Agilent 1260 Infinity Binary LC system coupled with the Agilent 1260 Infinity Refractive Index Detector. The method involved the use of Agilent HiPlex Ca column with 100% water as mobile phase. The method was validated for area and retention time (RT) precision, linearity, and accuracy. Robustness of the method was tested by varying pump flow, column temperature, injection amount, and refractive index optical unit temperature. The total sugar value reported on the maple syrup’s nutrition label was verified. This method can be used by food manufacturers to report total sugar content to meet nutrition labeling requirements.