DICARBONYL SUGAR-DERIVATIVES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE MAILLARD REACTION

The Maillard reaction involves the interaction of reducing sugars with protein amino groups to give 1-amino-1-deoxy-2-ketose derivatives (Amadori compounds), followed by their degradation. During this degradation, deoxy-dicarbonyl sugar derivatives are formed, which play an important role in subsequent stages of the reaction. The role of ''3-deoxyglucosone'', as well as other dicarbonyl intermediates produced from Amadori compounds are discussed herein. Ascorbic acid also undergoes Maillard type reactions with amino acids. This is probably due to the fact that it undergoes degradation to give carbonyl and dicarbonyl intermediates. Among the degradation products detected are L-threose as well as two 5-carbon dicarbonyl compounds. Data are presented with respect to the identification of these compounds as well as how they arise from ascorbate or its oxidation products. Finally, the results of some studies of aminoguanidine (guanylhydrazine) as an inhibitor of the Maillard reaction are presented.