High-Throughput Microplate Enzymatic Assays for Fast Sugar and Acid Quantification in Apple and Tomato

In this article, we report on the use of miniaturized and automated enzymatic assays as an alternative technology for fast sugar and acid quantification in apples and tomatoes. Enzymatic assays for d-glucose, d-fructose, sucrose, D-sorbitol/xylitol, L-malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and L-glutamic acid were miniaturized from the standard 3 mL assays in cuvettes into assays of 200 microL or lower in 96 or 384 well microplates. The miniaturization and the automation were achieved with a four channel automatic liquid handling system in order to reduce the dispensing errors and to obtain an increased sample throughput. Performance factors (limit of detection, linearity of calibration curve, and repeatability) of the assays with standard solutions were proven to be satisfactory. The automated and miniaturized assays were validated with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses for the quantification of sugars and acids in tomato and apple extracts. The high correlation between the two techniques for the different components indicates that the high-throughput microplate enzymatic assays can serve as a fast, reliable, and inexpensive alternative for HPLC as the standard analysis technique in the taste characterization of fruit and vegetables. In addition to the analysis of extracts, the high-throughput microplate enzymatic assays were used for the direct analysis of centrifuged and filtered tomato juice with an additional advantage that the sample preparation time and analysis costs are reduced significantly.