process for enrichment of β - anomers of alkyl glycosides of amino sugars involving two steps . the first step comprises treating an equilibrium mixture of the α - and β - anomers of the alkyl glycosides with an inorganic base under controlled reaction conditions , e . g ., specific solvents , water content of solvent and temperature and time of treatment . these conditions cause the equilibrium to shift in favor of the β - anomer . the second step comprises subjecting the product of the first step to multiple fractionations in specific solvent mixtures to isolate products having increased proportions of the β - anomers of the alkyl glycosides of amino sugars .