Evaluation of a novel stationary phase for the separation of lactose and isomers in lactose-free products using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD).

Lactose intolerance is a widespread condition, which prevents a large number of people from consuming dairy products as a part of their daily diet. It is estimated that an average of 65% of the global population is suffering from lactose intolerance. The global market for 'lactose-free' dairy products is rapidly growing and the criteria for 'lactose-free' labelled products are becoming stricter. To check the lactose contents in these products there is a need for fast, sensitive, and selective analytical method. A method is presented for fast and sensitive determination of lactose and its isomers using High-Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography in combination with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD). The use of a new anion-exchange column, SweetSep™ AEX200, which is a strong anion-exchange column with highly monodisperse 5 µm particles, allowed the separation of all compounds of interest in less than 8 min with high resolution. A variety of dairy products were analyzed to demonstrate the versatility of the method.