Kinetics of Deteriorative Reactions in Model Food Systems of High Water Activity: Glucose Loss, 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural Accumulation and Fluorescence Development Due to Nonenzymatic Browning

The kinetics of nonenzymatic browning reactions in the water activity range 0.900 ‐ 0.950 was studied to minimize the deteriorative changes of foods preserved by a combination of a mild water activity reduction and other microbial stress factors. Glucose loss, 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural accumulation, and development of fluorescence were measured during storage of aqueous model systems. The results obtained showed a strong dependence on temperature and pH and a negligible influence of water activity on the rate of nonenzymatic browning reactions.