The Maillard reaction, a well-known non-enzymatic
browning reaction involving a reducing sugar and an
amino acid, may produce colored or colorless reaction
products depending on the stage of the reaction as well
as other factors such as pH, type of reactants, temperature,
water activity, etc. Condensation reactions between
amino acids and lipid oxidation products may also form MRP, and the role of lipids in the Maillard reaction is
similar to the role of reducing sugars (see Hidalgo & Zamora,
2000). A group of compounds in the final products
of the reaction includes high molecular weight
melanoidins, which are furan ring and nitrogen containing
brown compounds. Little is known about their physical,
chemical and physiological properties because of
their complex structures. This complexity in MRP structures
limits the determination of antioxidant activity for
each compound in the whole group of MRP. Therefore,
the recently developed ORACPE assay can be used to
determine the total antioxidant capacity of MRP
formed during thermal processing of foods.
The Maillard reaction plays an important role in the
production of quality bakery products. Color of bread
crust and pasta products is determined particularly by
MRP. Dehydrated food, baked and grilled meat products,
and thermally processed foods may contain various
levels of MRP. Since various factors such as type