This document provides an overview of general methods for analyzing food carbohydrates. It discusses five categories of analytical methods: chromatographic and electrophoretic methods, chemical methods, enzymatic methods, physical methods, and immunoassays. It also describes various techniques for sample preparation prior to analysis, such as extraction, filtration, hydrolysis, and derivatization. The document indicates that food carbohydrates can be analyzed based on four categories: total sugar analysis, mono- and disaccharide analysis, oligo- and polysaccharide analysis, and dietary fiber analysis. Specific analytical techniques are discussed for each category.