The International Maillard Reaction Society (IMARS) gathers from around the globe researchers and clinicians involved in the field of carbonyl reactions in foods, biology, and medicine. The 11th or Centennial Symposium was held on September 16–20, 2012 at the Université de Lorraine in Nancy, France. It coincided with the centenary of Maillard’s report to the Académie des Sciences commonly cited as the “Maillard Reaction.” Louis Camille Maillard (1878–1936) was hardly known in scientific circles when he discovered by chance that amino acids heated in the presence of sugars form a complex mixture of molecules responsible for a range of smells and savors. The “Maillard Reaction” was largely forgotten until 1953 when John E. Hodge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture established its mechanism. According to Nobel chemistry laureate Jean-Marie Lehn, “The Maillard is, by far, the most widely practiced chemical reaction in the world.” The Maillard dynasty, Maillard’s life and career as well as the Maillard Reaction, Hodge’s interpretation of its mechanism and its intended and unintended (harmful) consequences are discussed.
Kauffman et al. (Fri,) studied this question.