Exploitable results Optimizing the Maillard Reaction The Maillard Reaction (MR) is one of the most studied reactions in food chemistry and involves the condensation of amino groups (proteins, peptides) with reducing sugars during food cooking and heating. The MR gives rise to changes in colour (eg the browning of bread during baking) and the development of flavours in dairy, bakery, and fish products. The project optimizes the MR with a view to improving quality and safety in thermally produced foods. New compounds responsible for colour and flavour development in foods are being separated and characterized and involves obtaining the ultraviolet (UV) profiles of coloured compounds obtained from xylose or glucose and lysine or glycine at different pH values and temperatures, and also the characterization of intensely coloured oligomers. The stability of the most important meat flavour impact compounds is under investigation and the parameters which increase the shelf-life of products containing process-flavourings have been identified. The microbiological stability of fish products can be improved by the use of precursors which favour the formation of suitable Maillard Reaction Products (MRP) during processing. Monitoring the formation of some MRPs in dairy products produced in different European Union (EU) countries is in progress to aid the selection of the best molecular markers for heat treatments. A kinetic model (based on a sensitive analytical method) has been built for the formation of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines with a view to minimizing their presence in commercially cooked hamburgers, while retaining sensory properties. Optimisation of the Maillard reaction in foods The Maillard reaction (MR) is one of the most important reaction during the thermal treatment of foods. It involves the condensation of amino groups (proteins, peptides) with reducing sugars. It gives rise to changes in colour, the developments of flavours in dairy, bakery and meat products, and has also nutritional implications. The objectives of this FAIR project was to optimise the MR reaction with a view to improving quality and safety in thermally produced foods. New compounds responsible of colour development in foods, such as intensely coloured oligomers, were separated and characterised from model systems, and mechanistic pathways for their formation were proposed contributing to the overall understanding of the mechanism of the MR. Kinetic studied showed differences in the reaction of aldose and ketose sugars and mono and disaccharides in the reaction with proteins such as caseins. The stability of some important meat flavour impact compounds was carefully studied and procedures to increase the shelf life of process-flavourings in flavoured food-stuffs was established. The formation of some MRPs in drinkable milk and some other dairy products produced in different EU countries permitted to select molecular markers useful for their classification in respect to the thermal treatment. The differences within each single contry are larger than between countries (Germany, the Netherland, Austria, Italy, Spain). Some researches were devoted to nutritional aspects. A kinetic model (based on a very sensitive analytical method) was built for the formation of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines with a view to minimising their presence in commercially cooked hamburgers, while retaining the sensory properties. The influence of some pure MRPs on selected enzymes of phase-I and phase-II of the biotransformation system was investigated in cell cultures. Some of them appear to act rather as bifunctional than as monofunctional inducers. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
