Report of a Collaborative Study on Dextran in White Sugar Using an Antibody Test

摘要

The determination of dextran in white sugar is important for the manufacturers of shaped hard candies, in particular, round candies, such as Life Savers. A dextran concentration greater than 125 ppm will cause the sugar crystal to elongate, resulting in distortion of the candy geometry. Thus, a candy that is supposed to be perfectly round will become slightly oblong. Very few refiners test for dextran in the finished refined sugar. A collaborative study, using the accepted IUPAC protocol, was conducted, with ten laboratories participating. Of these ten, only two laboratories routinely tested for dextran in white sugar. The Midland Monoclonal Antibody method (MCA) was chosen for its rapidity and ease. Samples ranged in concentration from 15 to 240 ppm dextran. Statistical analyses of the results showed that the test performed adequately, with outliers and variability ratios falling within acceptable parameters for all but the sample with the lowest concentration.