composition of the lyophilized rice straw prehydrolyzates was determined
using a Waters Alliance HPLC system (Model 2695, Waters Corporation,
Milford, MA) equipped with a SP-G precolumn, SP0810 analytical column
(Shodex, Kawasaki, Japan), and refractive index detector (Model 2414,
Waters Corporation, Milford, MA). The xylo-oligosaccharide concentration
was determined by equipping the HPLC described above with a Bio-Rad
Aminex-HPX 42A analytical column (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) and a Micro-Guard
deashing precolumn. Calibration curves for the xylo-oligosaccharides
(DP 2 to DP 6) were determined using pure (>95.0%) reference compounds.
The analytical columns and the detector were maintained at 85 and
50 °C, respectively. Millipore water was used as eluent at a
flow rate of 0.2 mL min–1, and the sugars were quantified
using in-house calibration curves.
Analyses of formic acid,
acetic acid, HMF, and furfural were performed using the Waters Alliance
HPLC system fitted with a Bio-Rad Aminex HPX-87H ion exclusion analytical
column (Life Sciences Research, Hercules, CA) and photodiode array
detector (Model 2996, Waters Corporation, Milford, MA). The samples
were eluted with a 5 mM sulfuric acid at a flow rate of 0.6 mL min–1 and were detected at 280 nm.23