Measurement of seasonal variation of fructan in the haplocorm of timothy (Phleum pratense, L.)

Abstract A simple colorimetric procedure was used for the determination of fructose in decolorised ethanol extracts of non‐polymer fructose and in hot‐water extracts of fructan fructose from lyophilised haplocorms of timothy. Positive errors in estimates of non‐polymer fructose resulted from pigments not being removed and from heat‐drying, whereas negative errors in fructan fructose resulted from oven‐drying. Fructan was located primarily in the haplocorm and stubble of timothy and consisted of 84‐98% of the total fructose in the haplocorm, depending on the time of sampling.