Patent ID: 6855555

Claim:
A method for simultaneous analysis of a saccharide mixture comprising monosaccharides, oligosaccharides or a combination thereof by a liquid chromatographic method using at least two different mobile phases, which method comprises the steps of: (a) separating the monosaccharides and oligosaccharides by the liquid chromatography by using an analytical column into individual saccharides (b) in a reactor coupled to the analytical column reacting each of the separated saccharides with a reagent to convert the saccharide into a derivative thereof detectable by a detecting method; (c) introducing the derivatives of the saccharides consecutively into a detector cell coupled to the reactor; (d) detecting the saccharide derivatives in the detector cell consecutively by the detecting method; (e) cleaning the detector cell with a detector cell-cleaning solvent each time after completion of the consecutive detection of the saccharide derivatives by flowing the cell-cleaning solvent from a resolve coupled to the detector cell; and (f) a step for a re-equilibration treatment of the analytical column, the re-equilibration treatment of the analytical column being conducted simultaneously with cleaning of the detector cell by shutting off a flow channel connecting the detector cell and the analytical column, passing a mobile phase for equilibration of the analytical column through the analytical column to waste reopening and the flow channel after said shutting off the flow channel and prior to loading of the analytical column with a subsequent solution of the saccharide mixture.