The Influence of Water Content and Temperature on the Formation of Maillard Reaction Intermediates during Drying of Plant Products

Abstract

During heat processing of foods because of its high temperature coefficient the Maillard reaction becomes the dominant deteriorative reaction (10, 14, 15). It is well known that the Maillard reaction in foods is initiated by the formation of colorless and tasteless intermediates, which preferentially are formed in low-moisture systems (5, 6). In this way by reaction of glucose with amino acids fructose-amino acids arc formed via Amadori rearrangement of the primary glucosyl-amino acids (10). Fructose-amino acids e.g. have been isolated from freeze-dried apricots and peaches (1, 2, 11). Amadori compounds arising from aldoses and free amino acids are formed during drying of foods and can be easily detected by amino acids analysis (5)