Evaluation of Cation Exchange HPLC Columns for the Separation of Carbohydrates in Wort and Beer. Cynthia A. McLinn, John E. Collier, and Marc D. Constant, Miller Brewing Company, 3939 W. Highland Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53208. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 52:0065, 1994.

Commercially available silver- and calcium-form cation exchange high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns were evaluated with a series of standards and samples for their ability to resolve fermentable and nonfermentable sugars, glycerol, and ethanol in wort and beer. The evaluation included 10 columns that were compatible with the use of isocratic water elution and refractive index detection. A recently available silver-form column from Sierra Separations (SS-100 Ag⁺) was judged to be the best substitute for the commonly used Aminex HPX-65A and HPX-87C columns.

Keywords: Beer, Carbohydrates, Cation Exchange Columns, HPLC, Sugars, Wort