In bioformulations containing a protein and a carbohydrates, carbohydrates are used to assist in the stabilization of the proteins in solution, and are used in different amounts, depending on the protein and the product requirements. Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol is transferred to and analysed by HILIC and CAD after it is eluted from the reverse-phase column. Both sorbitol and the protein are analysed in this 2D-HPLC method.

In many of the vaccines and other formulations that are used in the prevention and treatment of many conditions and illnesses contain carbohydrates, as a part of their formulation. Six carbohydrates were identified as important components in biotechnological formulations: sorbitol, mannitol, sucrose, lactose, maltose, and trehalose. These are separated by HILIC-HPLC and detected by the universal Corona charged aerosol detector.

Two oral, over-the-counter medications were evaluated as representative pharmaceutical products. A cough suppressant and a multisymptom cold/flu medication were chosen because they contain a complex mixture of simple sugars, glycols,and sugar alcohols. These carbohydrates and glycols are also commonly found in other medications. This method uses the CarboPac MA1 column to retain and separate the target analytes.

In this work the Thermo Scientific Hypersil GOLD Amino column was used for the determination of sorbitol. A simple isocratic method was used with RI detection and a run time of seven minutes was achieved.

This application note describes the use of three different anion-exchange columns with amperometric detection to analyze common simple sugars, sugar alcohols, and glycols in pharmaceutical formulations. This record describes a method using the CarboPac PA10 column to determine some of the target carbohydrates. The reader is advised to review TN21 for updated waveform information.