Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Browning reaction: Effect on food quality

The Maillard reaction has been named after the French physicist and chemist Louis Camille Maillard (1878–1936) who initially described it. It is often defined as nonenzymatic browning reaction.

Although some chemicals produced by Maillard reactions are involved in the improvement of flavour and the sensory appeal of many foods, others are known to be potentially harmful (mutagens, carcinogens), antinutritional or simply undesirable.

It has been a central and major challenge in food industry, since the Maillard reaction is related to aroma, taste and colour, in particularly in traditional processes such as the roasting of coffee and cocoa beans, the baking of bread and cakes, the toasting of cereals and the cooking of meat.

Enzymatic and nonenzymatic browning reactions of amino acids and proteins with carbohydrates, oxidized lipids, and oxidized phenols cause deterioration of food during storage and processing. Browning reaction in many food systems generally causes the undesirable appearance. Many approaches have been used to prevent the reaction by eliminating the essential components including oxygen, copper, or substrate needed for enzymatic activity

The loss in nutritional quality and potentially in safety is attributed to destruction of essential amino acids, decrease in digestibility, inhibition of proteolytic and glycolytic enzymes, interaction with metal ions, and formation of anti-nutritional and toxic compounds.
Browning reaction: Effect on food quality

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