Maillard reaction of soybean protein isolate with ribose during dry heating

The Maillard reaction has been reported to be capable of improving the functional properties of soybean protein isolate (SPI). This work attempted to explore the possibility of the Maillard reaction between SPI and ribose under the dry heating circumstance, and the effects of temperature, SPI/ribose mixing ratio, relative humidity, and reaction duration were investigated in terms of absorbance at 290 nm and L values. In addition, thermal behavior and rheological properties of the resultant products of the Maillard reaction were characterized as well. The results indicated that the reaction occurred readily using dry heat and the optimum conditions were: temperature 80, SPI to ribose ratio 1: 1 (m/m), relative humidity 26.10% and reaction duration 6 h. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses confirmed that labile intermediates were produced during the reaction. Furthermore, rheological measurements indicated that the reaction endowed the products with enhanced elastic properties and increased viscosity, implying the formation of high-molecular weight products. Compared with the widely used wet heating method, the dry heating method was simpler and more feasible, thus showing great potential for modification of SPI. ©, 2015, South China University of Technology. All right reserved.