Carbohydrate analysis: From sample preparation to HPLC on different stationary phases coupled with evaporative light-scattering detection

After 20 years of development, evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD) has become the mainstream choice for the detection of various classes of natural products. ELSD continues to grow in popularity as a quasi-universal technique because of the specificity of the detection method, which is based on the scattering of laser light from nonvolatile analyte particles. It represents an attractive alternative compared to other types of detection, such as refractive index detection and/or ultraviolet detection. This review presents issues concerned with the separation of carbohydrates in plant materials by HPLC and ELSD, as well as the advantages and limitations relating to the ELSD method. Additionally, an overview of possible ELSD applications in the analysis of carbohydrates in natural products is presented.