Application of microwave energy in sample preparation for analysis of trehalose in yeast

A sample preparation method was established for extracting trehalose from yeast with the aid of microwave energy. The high performance liquid chromatographic separation and determination of the extracted compounds showed that the microwave extraction method was more advantageous than traditional extraction method with regard to the selectivity of extraction and the time and cost of the procedure. As trehalase was inactivated after 20 s microwave irradiation, the change of trehalose degradation in extracting process may be considerably reduced. Microwave extraction seems to be an effective sample preparation method for trehalose determination expecially in the study of yeast metabolism.