Generally sugars and carbohydrates are extracted from dried and ground plant material. First soluble sugars
are extracted with aqueous ethanol, later starch is extracted with an acid. Acidic starch extracts are typically
clear, however ethanolic sugar extracts may be green (leaves) or brown (roots). To remove these interfering
colours first pre-extract plant material with 100% acetone (Marshall 1986, Oren). Any one of hundreds of
extraction procedures may be used to extract soluble sugars not just aqueous ethanol. If
methanol/chloroform/water was used it would not be necessary to do first an acetone extraction.