Polysaccharide

Optics

Physics

Infrared spectroscopy

Infrared

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Chemistry

Materials science

Programming language

Scope (computer science)

Characterization (materials science)

Molecular spectroscopy

Spectroscopy

Molecule

Computer science

Quantum mechanics

Food Chemistry X

Polysaccharides are important biomacromolecules with numerous beneficial functions and a wide range of industrial applications. Functions and properties of polysaccharides are closely related to their structural features. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a well-established technique which has been widely applied in polysaccharide structural analysis. In this paper, the principle of IR and interpretation of polysaccharide IR spectrum are briefly introduced. Classical applications of IR spectroscopy in polysaccharide structural elucidation are reviewed from qualitative and quantitative aspects. Some advanced IR techniques including integrating with mass spectrometry (MS), microscopy and computational chemistry are introduced and their applications are emphasized. These emerging techniques can considerably expand application scope of IR, thus exert a more important effect on carbohydrate characterization. Overall, this review seeks to provide a comprehensive insight to applications of IR spectroscopy in polysaccharide structural analysis and highlights the importance of advanced IR-integrating techniques.

Applications of infrared spectroscopy in polysaccharide structural analysis: Progress, challenge and perspective