Dairy Chemistry And Biochemistry

LACTOSE 55

D-Glucopyranose

HO 0 OH HR

OH

Glycosylaiiiine

Figure 2.29 Formation of glycosylamine, the initial step in Maillard browning.

prevent or retard age-gelation in UHT milk products). Maillard reaction
products (MRPs) have antioxidant properties; the production of MRPs may
be a small-volume outlet for lactose.
The Amadori compound may be degraded via either of two pathways,
depending on pH, to a variety of active alcohol, carbonyl and dicarbonyl
compounds and ultimately to brown-coloured polymers called melanoidins
(Figure 2.31). Many of the intermediates are (off-) flavoured. The dicar-
bonyls can react with amino acids via the Strecker degradation pathway
(Figure 2.32) to yield another family of highly flavoured compounds.