The cost of furan analysis in the small and medium-sized food
companies is high and analytical instrumentation is insufficient;
thus, it is essential to find an index of furan formation. In a previous
study, the relationship between Maillard reaction products and
absorbance was identified. According to that study, the brown colour
produced by the Maillard reaction can be used as an indicator
of the Maillard reaction stage and its possible link to antioxidant
capacity (Vhangani & Wyk, 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this
study was to investigate the effect of various food additives such
as metal ions (iron sulphate, magnesium sulphate, calcium sulphate
and zinc sulphate), sodium sulphite, and antioxidants
(BHT, BHA) on the formation of furan using furan model systems
(pathways 1 and 2) consisting of carbohydrates (glucose and
ribose), amino acids (serine and alanine), and ascorbic acid. In
addition, the relationships between the colour of the aqueous
model systems and furan concentration were determined to
investigate an index of furan formation.