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Simple Method for Sucrose Determination Based on Self-Assembled Nano-Levan Synthesized by Levansucrase
Thanapon Charoenwongpaiboon1, Karan Wangpaiboon2, Rath Pichyangkura3
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand.
Abstract:
A simple and specific method for sucrose quantification was developed using nanolevan formation catalyzed by levansucrase from Erwinia tasmaniensis (EtLsc). When EtLsc reacted with sucrose, it quickly produced nanolevan, which generated turbidity that could be measured using spectrophotometry. This method showed a strong linear correlation between optical density and sucrose concentration within the range of 0.2-3.0% w/v. Optimal conditions for the reaction were determined to be pH 6.0-8.0 and enzyme concentration of 20 U/mL. The method demonstrated high specificity toward sucrose without interference from other common sugars. Additionally, a smartphone-based detection approach was developed and validated, providing a portable alternative for on-site analysis. When applied to real fruit juice samples, the results were less than 9% different from those of HPLC analysis. This approach offers a cost-effective, rapid, and user-friendly alternative for sucrose determination in food and beverage samples.
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