Carbohydrates and sugars

Food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fermentation media and research all depend on carbohydrates. Pharmaceutical lactose, dextrose and mannitol are major excipients, trehalose stabilises proteins and cells, and specialty sugars serve as building blocks for glycochemistry and as substrates in biochemistry.

Ask for the grade, assay, specific rotation, water, reducing sugars, ash, heavy metals and microbial limits. For polysaccharides, molecular weight, viscosity and degree of substitution or deacetylation matter. Pharmaceutical and food grades should meet the relevant monographs. Chemically pure sugars other than sucrose, lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose fall under HS heading 2940, while common sugars are classified in chapter 17.