5.1 This test method requires total hydrolysis of carbohydrate material to monosaccharides, and is thus applicable to any cellulosic or related material that undergoes substantial hydrolysis, including cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate.

5.2 The carbohydrate composition of a cellulosic material can be expressed on the basis of the total initial sample, or on the basis of the carbohydrate portion of the sample. The former requires quantitative handling and may require special knowledge of the other components present in order to establish the absolute carbohydrate level or determine individual wood hemicelluloses such as galactoglucomannan, etc. Since the solid portion of purified pulps is almost all carbohydrate (98 +  %), the latter basis is often used to express the carbohydrate distribution as a percent.

5.3 If heated under alkaline conditions, isomeric sugars may begin to appear in the chromatogram. The major impurity present in purified pulps is saccharinic acids. These acidic components, and other anions such as sulfate, carbonate, and acetate are removed by a strong base anion exchange SPE, and would need to be determined separately to get a more exact carbohydrate distribution.