At higher pH, the a-amino group of Lys is protonated to a greater degree, and thus is less likely to react with carbonyl groups in carbohydrates. This observation is also supported by Yamaguchi et al. (2009), who found that sodium chloride retarded the browning reaction rate of proteins, as measured by polymerisation degree or by the loss of Lys. Also, Levine and Smith (2005) reported that adding salt or sodium bicarbonate to crackers reduced acrylamide formation. On the other hand, the same authors stated that it was only when pH was raised to 9.6 and 10.5 by the addition of higher levels of NaOH that the effect of acrylamide elimination became significant. Thus, the elimination mechanism of salt or sodium bicarbonate appears to be more than a simple pH effect. The addition of all extra ingredients to recipe 1, giving recipe R1A, produced the highest reduction in CML, which suggests a synergistic effects of all the ingredients in the muffin formula. These samples were characterised by about 97% lower levels of CML, compared to the model muffins made with R1 (Fig. 1).