The Dionex™ CarboPac™ SA10 analytical column: Fast performance and high resolution for sugar analysis
The Dionex™ CarboPac™ SA10 analytical column is a cutting-edge solution developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific to meet the specific needs of simple sugar separation in complex matrices, particularly in the bioenergy and food industries. Thanks to its cutting-edge anion exchange chromatography technology, this column enables fast and efficient separation of sugars such as fucose, sucrose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose, mannose and fructose in less than ten minutes. In the food industry, it can also separate compounds such as lactose, cellobiose and maltose with the same speed and precision.
The core of this performance lies in a supermacroporous, hydrophobic and extremely stable polymer support capable of withstanding extreme pH conditions ranging from 0 to 14. This polymer is functionalised with quaternary ammonium groups for high ion exchange capacity, enabling reproducible separations even in the presence of difficult matrices. This support also guarantees high robustness against cleaning agents and organic solvents.
One of the major advantages of the SA10 column is its compatibility with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD), thanks to the use of basic eluents such as electrochemically generated potassium hydroxide. This allows sensitive and specific detection of carbohydrates, even at low concentrations. Performance is optimised when the column is used with Dionex IC systems equipped with non-metallic electrochemical detection cells and disposable gold electrodes, ensuring low background signals and high reproducibility.
Column installation and maintenance are facilitated by broad compatibility with CarboPac SA10G guard columns, which protect the analytical column from impurities and extend its service life. Strict recommendations for water purity (18.2 MΩ·cm) and eluent purity are necessary to maintain optimal performance.
The CarboPac SA10 column has a wide range of applications beyond biofuels, including the analysis of complex food matrices, biomass hydrolysates and sialic acids. It is therefore an essential analytical tool for any laboratory seeking a high-performance, reliable and fast solution for the analysis of simple and complex sugars.
