Patent ID: 8822917

Claim:
A method for analyzing a glycan structure with use of a mass spectrometer that carries out MS/MS measurement, comprising the steps of: (A) carrying out MS/MS measurement at various values of CID energy, the step (A) including the step (a) of causing a first quadrupole mass filter to isolate glycopeptide ions from test materials having a glycan and the step (b) of causing a second quadrupole mass filter to filter specific types of product ions derived from the glycopeptide ions and detecting amounts of the specific types of product ions at the values of CID energy; (B) creating energy-resolved profiles including yield curves representing relationships between (i) the values of the CID energy and (ii) measured amounts of the respective specific types of product ions; and (C) distinguishing the glycan structure by comparing the energy-resolved profiles of the respective test materials obtained in the step (B), the specific types of product ions being derived from a protonated monosaccharide or disaccharide.