3. Results and discussion
3.1. Preparation of oligosaccharide by enzymatic hydrolysis
Previous experiments showed that the enzymatic activity of CZ1127 fucoidanase depends greatly on NaCl concentration, which may be a consequence of the marine environment from which the
CZ1127 bacterium strain originated. However, the high amount of NaCl hampers LC–MS detection and decreases the efficiency of oligosaccharide separation. As the result, a desalting procedure is essential after the enzymatic hydrolysis. Common methods for desalting, such as gel permeation chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and organic solvent treatment were time-consuming or ineffective for desalting sulphated oligosaccharides. The surface characteristics of nonporous graphitised carbon blacks are responsible for various types of interactions (hydrophobic, electronic and ion-exchange) with analytes, and sulphated oligosaccharides could be well retained (Hennion, 2000). After desalting by use of a nonporous graphitised carbon black column,