Maillard reaction glycolaldehyde

Glomb MA and Monnier VM (1995) Mechanism of protein modification by glyoxal and glycolaldehyde, reactive intermediates of the Maillard reaction. J Biol Chem 270, 10017-10026. 

Radical reaction mechanisms during the early Maillard reaction were first detected by Namiki et al. (7, 2). He identified iV.A -dialkylpyrazine-cation radicals that originated from the primary Schiff base formed by reaction between glucose and amino acids. The glycolaldehyde alkylimine formed by a reverse aldol reaction of the Schiff base leads to a dialkylpyrazinium radical cation after self-condensation. The formation of dialkylpyrazinium radical cations, which could be detected by EPR spectrometry, represents an alternative pathway of the Maillard reaction it starts at the very beginning of die reaction, well before the formation of Amadori rearrangement products and depends on the pH value it starts around pH 7 and increases up to pH 11. 

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