Quantification of Maillard Reaction Products in Doce de Leite

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The Maillard reaction (MR), a temperature-dependent reaction, affects the sensory and nutritional properties of Doce de leite. While 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is commonly used as a marker to indicate thermal exposure, its use alone does not capture the full complexity of MR. This study investigated a set of additional Maillard reaction products (MRPs) including furosine, N -carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), pyrraline, 2-furfural, 2-furylmethyl ketone, 2-methylfurfural, and the heat-induced cross-linking marker lysinoalanine (LAL)– in 11 different Brazilian commercial Doce de leite samples. The findings demonstrate that a single MRP is insufficient for characterizing the Maillard reaction progress in Doce de leite. To address this limitation, we propose a “Maillard Reaction Stage Index” (MRSI), which integrates both early and advanced MRPs to consider the formation and consumption of MRPs in subsequent reactions. Thus, this provides a more accurate picture of the progress of MR in Doce de leite.