Title
Quantification of polysaccharide contents with the chemical oxygen demand index (COD)
Authors
UTTAM C. PAUL AVINASH P. MANIAN BARBORA SIROKA and THOMAS BECHTOLD

Received October 10, 2013
Published Volume 48 Issue 7-8 July-August
Keywords carbohydrates, polysaccharides, quantification

Abstract
The quantification of carbohydrate contents through measurements of chemical oxygen demand index (COD) is demonstrated on three polysaccharides: pectin, sodium alginate and xanthan. Strong, linear relationships are obtained between polysaccharide content and the COD, with a close match between measured values and theoretical estimates. The COD method offers some advantages, and may complement the traditional phenol–sulfuric acid and anthrone sulfuric acid assays in carbohydrate content measurements.