α-Dicarbonyl Compounds-Key Intermediates for the Formation of Carbohydrate-based Melanoidins

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1126; no. 1; pp. 210 - 215
• Main Authors: Kroh, Lothar W., Fiedler, Thorsten, Wagner, Janine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01-04-2008
• Subjects: Carbohydrates - chemistry; Chromatography, Gel; dicarbonyl compounds; formation; Glyoxal - analogs & derivatives; Hot Temperature; Kinetics; melanoidin; Models, Molecular; Polymers - chemistry; Thermodynamics
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1196/annals.1433.058

The Maillard reaction of carbohydrates and amino acids is the chemical basis for flavor and color formation in many processed foods. Dicarbonyl compounds, such as 1‐, 3‐deoxyosones and 1,4‐dideoxyosones, as well as short‐chain dicarbonyls, such as methylgyoxal or glyoxal, are key compounds of the Maillard browning reaction. The α‐dicarbonyls are also starting materials for polymerization reactions which lead to formation of carbohydrate‐based melanoidins. With regard to the dicarbonyl compound, different possible chemical structures of melanoidins will be discussed. The analysis by size‐exclusion chromatography revealed that those colored compounds differ in their molecular size and are directly associated with reactions having specific α‐dicarbonyl compounds.