Monitoring Maillard reaction

On-Line Monitoring of the Maillard Reaction Using a Film Reactor Coupled to Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry... 

The film reactor-ion trap mass spectrometer technique (FR-ITMS) introduced in this paper offers the potential for novel dynamic investigations of the Maillard reaction. Application of the technique to a glucose/leucine system has shown reactants, intermediates and end products to be successfully monitored in short time scales under rapidly changing reaction environments. 

An amino acid analyzer has been used to monitor the Maillard reaction of model deoxyfructosyl-lysines and related glycated ... 

Pollien, R, Lindinger, C., Yeretzian, C., Blank, I. (2003) Rroton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, a tool for on-line monitoring of acrylamide formation in the head-space of Maillard reaction systems and processed food. Analytical Chemistry, 75,5488-5494. 

The end products of the Strecker degradation are COj, an amine, and the corresponding aldehyde of each deaminated and decarboxylated amino acid. At one time these aldehydes were considered to be quite important to the flavor of heated food products. This was primarily because they are the most abundant volatiles formed via the Maillard reaction (and thus assumed to be important). It is now realized that the heterocyclic volatiles are more important. The Strecker aldehydes are often monitored in foods since they are present in quantity and can serve as indicators of the Maillard reaction [43]. 

Extensive reports of the Maillard reaction can be found in the scientific literature, most focus on aqueous systems, and few monitor the reaction with time. An interesting system for processing liquid streams of reactants under precise time-temperature conditions was described by Stahl and Parliment [1]. Analysis of the data resulted in a plot of flavor and color generation with time from which the kinetics of the reactions could be easily calculated. Gaining the same sort of data from food matrices that dehydrate on heating is more difficult, and there are few published reports. 

The SMP system was chosen as it is a real food ingredient that is involved in the Maillard reaction but is relatively simple (compared to that of coffee, for instance). Thus it represents the lower end of the scale of complexity of food Maillard reactions. The headspace from the heated (and cooled) SMP sample was analyzed by direct API monitoring (Fig. 1). Visual inspection of Fig. 1 reveals about 20 compounds, but the only information on their identity is provided by the ion mass. Since this trace was obtained in scan mode using a general set of ionization parameters, there may also be some fragment ions present. For known compounds, molecular ion formation is favored by using specific conditions for each compound [2] when the APIMS is operated in selected ion mode. 

Pollien, P., Lindinger, C., Yeretzian C., and Blank, I. 2003. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry is a suitable tool for on-fine monitoring of acrylamide in food and Maillard systems, Aiud. Chem., 75 5488-5494. 

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