MONOSACCHARIDE COMPOSITION OF SELECTED CANADIAN PEATS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The neutral monosaccharides released by the acid hydrolysis of five peat profiles were analyzed by ion exchange chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography in order to ascertain whether monosaccharide composition can be used to differentiate peats. Glucose, mannose and galactose were the predominant monosaccharides found. Changes observed with depth in the relative abundances of the monosaccharides were not always correlated with the degree of decomposition as measured by fibre content or pyrophosphate index. The arabinose to xylose ratio was a diagnostic chemical feature which reflected the degree of decomposition of the peats.