Stability of Trehalose, Sucrose and Glucose to Nonenzymatic Browning in Model Systems

The rate of nonenzymatic browning was compared in freeze‐dried model systems containing lysine and glucose, sucrose or trehalose at pH 2.5 and a water activity of 0.33. Rate constants for brown color formation (A420) were from 200 to 2000‐fold greater for the sucrose than for the trehalose system. Some rate constants for sucrose browning approached those for glucose, indicating that extensive hydrolysis had occurred. The results indicate that use of trehalose rather than sucrose may be of value in stabilizing some systems vulnerable to nonenzymatic browning.