Quantitative assessment of furosine, furfurals, and advanced glycation end products in different types of commercially available cheeses

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Maillard reaction products of different types of commercially available cheeses. Cheeses are the commonly consumed dairy products characterized by their many different flavors, textures and aromas. Pasteurization, fermentation and ripening are the key steps of cheese manufacturing, which might lead to the formation of some harmful products. In this study, furosine, furfurals, two "representative " advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were analyzed by gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The content of furosine in cheeses were the highest, followed by AGEs, while levels of furfurals were relatively low. The contents of these Maillard reaction products in hard and semi-hard cheeses were significantly higher than those in soft and semi-soft cheeses. Finally, the correlation between proximate composition and Maillard reaction products was further analyzed.