Conditions for quantitative gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) analysis of madurose (3-O-methylgalactose) and other sugars in small amount of actinomycete whole cells were established for taxonomic use. Cell hydrolysis with trifluoroacetic acid followed by GLC using a capillary column made it possible to analyze whole-cell sugars of 1mg of dried cells quantitatively. Under the conditions established, alditol acetates derived from madurose as well as from other neutral sugars, such as rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, 3-O-methylmannose, mannose, galactose and glucose, were well separated from each other on GLC.
When six strains of actinomycetes including Kitasatosporia strains were examined for the quantitative analysis, madurose was detected in cells of Kitasatosporia setae KM-6054, K. phosalacinea KA-338 and K. griseola AM-9660, as well as Actinomadura madurae IFM 78 and Streptosporangium roseum JCM-3005, but not in Streptomyces griseus IFO-12875.