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. MRPs are widely used as markers for the nutritional quality of food and have gained broad attention in cosmetics, biochemistry, food, and pharma industry.

MRPs reduce the availability of essential amino acids such as arginine and lysine in food, and therefore influence their nutritional quality. They are responsible for deterioration of food during storage and processing. From a pharmacological point of view they may cause kidney damage and show carcinogenic, but also antiallergenic, antibiotic, anti-mutagenic, and antioxidant properties.

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References

• Baking, Ageing, Diabetes: A Short History of the Maillard Reaction; M. Hellwig and T. Henle; Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014; 53: 10316-10329. doi:10.1002/anie.201308808
• Forty years of furosine – Forty years of using Maillard reaction products as indicators of the nutritional quality of foods; H. F. Erbersdobler and V. Somoza; Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2007; 51: 423-430. doi:10.1002/mnfr.200600154
• Quantitative screening of advanced glycation endproducts in cellular and extracellular proteins by tandem mass spectrometry; P. J. Thornalley, S. Battah, N. Ahmed, N. Karachalias, S. Agalou, R. Babaei-Jadidi and A. Dawnayd; Biochemical Journal 2003; 375: 581-592. doi:10.1042/bj20030763
• Formation of 1-amino-1,4-dideoxy-2,3-hexodiuloses and 2-aminoacetylfurans in the Maillard reaction; B. Huber and F. Ledl; Carbohydrate Research 1990; 204: 215-220. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0008-6215(90)84037-U
• Formation of 2-(2-furoyl)-4(5)-(2-furyl)-1H-imidazole in the Maillard reaction; B. Huber, F. Ledl, T. Severin, A. Stangl and G. Pfleiderer; Carbohydrate Research 1988; 182: 301-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0008-6215(88)84012-6
• Determination of furosine by gas—liquid chromatography; W. Büser and H. F. Erbersdobler; Journal of Chromatography A 1985; 346: 363-368. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9673(00)90523-5 Der Abbau von Fructose-aminosäuren zu N-(2-Furoylmethyl)aminosäuren. Zwischenprodukte von Bräunungsreaktionen; K. Heyns, J. Heukeshoven and K. H. Brose; Angewandte Chemie 1968; 80: 627-627. doi:10.1002/ange.19680801522