The rôle of buffer salts in non‐enzymic browning

A technique of heat‐processing solutions in sealed jars has been used to study non‐enzymic browning, particularly with regard to the effect of added buffer salts. This technique facilitates the simultaneous examination of a larger number of solutions and permits the use of higher temperatures than would otherwise be possible. It has been shown that systems containing a reducing sugar, an amino‐acid and a buffer salt in solution must be regarded as triple systems, there being in most cases a well defined optimum ratio of any two components of the system. It also appears that salts of carboxylic acids have no unique browning properties, the effects of both organic and inorganic buffer salts being approximately additive provided that direct reaction with the sugar cannot occur. The importance of buffer salts as general acid‐base catalysts is stressed. Their buffering action against acid reaction products is also discussed.