Automated high pressure liquid chromatographic system for determination of mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol in chewing gums and confections.

A rapid, precise, and reproducible automated high pressure liquid chromatographic method was developed to determine xylitol in the presence of mannitol and sorbitol in chewing gums and confectionery products. A mobile phase of water and methanol elutes the polyols simultaneously from a cation-exchange column without pretreatment or derivatization. Injections into the liquid chromatograph were made by an autosampler, and date reduction was performed with a programmable electronic integrator. Average recoveries for one level each of mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol in 6 replicate samples prepared by the standard addition technique were 102.5, 100.5, and 100.7%, respectively.