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Abstract Capillary electrophoresis methods for the separation of carbohydrates with four different detection techniques, namely direct UV, indirect UV, capacitively coupled conductivity, and laser-induced fluorescence detection, were tested and their performance was evaluated and compared in terms of linearity, limits of detection and quantitation, repeatability, recovery, analysis time, and sample treatment. The test set of analytes comprised sucrose, glucose, and fructose. The effect of using lactose as an internal standard on the individual methods was investigated, too. The results showed that laser-induced fluorescence detection is a technique of choice for applications requiring the detection of very low amounts of reducing carbohydrates. Contactless conductivity detection is favorable when detection sensitivity is not a crucial parameter but fast and reliable analysis is required. When only a UV detector is available as a standard part of capillary electrophoresis instruments, direct UV detection can be used when analysis time is not a critical parameter. For fast analysis with UV detectors, indirect UV detection is the technique of choice. Finally, to verify the applicability of the tested methods, samples of cola beverage, honey, and orange juice were analyzed and the results obtained by all four methods were compared. Graphical abstract 

Lignin, a complex and abundant biopolymer, is a major constituent of plant cell walls. Due to its chemical and structural complexity, lignin degradation is a challenging task for both natural and engineered systems. Therefore, investigation of lignin degradation using so called “model compounds” has been the focus of many research efforts in recent years. This study addresses the utility of guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether (Gβ2) as a model compound for evaluating the β-O-4 bond cleavage under diverse thermal and aqueous medium conditions. Experimental conditions included varied pH (3–10), microbial biodegradation, subcritical water environment (150–250 °C), and mild pyrolysis (150–250 °C). A high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry was employed for accurate detection and quantification of both Gβ2 and its degradation/modification products in an aqueous environment. Pyrolysis experiments were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis with a pyrolyzer. The results showed that Gβ2 remained stable under exposure to moderate pH and several bacterial strains, which were successfully used previously for biodegradation of other recalcitrant pollutants. We report, for the first time, differing Gβ2 breakdown pathways for subcritical water treatment vs. pyrolysis under an inert atmosphere. The scientific novelty lies in the presentation of differences in the degradation pathways of Gβ2 during subcritical water treatment compared to pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere, with water playing a key role. The observed differences are ascribed to the suppression of homolytic reactions by water as a solvent.