Maillard Reaction Products

Proteins contained in meat and other comestible goods are usually rich in the amino acids arginine and lysine. The side chain functional groups of Arg and Lys react with reducing carbohydrates such as glucose or lactose to form Amadori reaction products. These characteristic intermediates decompose particularely at elevated temperatures to various Maillard reaction products (MRPs) which are responsible for the distinctive flavours of many food products. Moreover, MRPs are widely used as markers for the nutritional quality of food and have gained broad attention in cosmetics, biochemistry, food, and pharma industry.