title: alpha-Dicarbonyl compounds--key intermediates for the formation of carbohydrate-based melanoidins.
abstract: The Maillard reaction of carbohydrates and amino acids is the chemical basis for flavor and color formation in many processed foods. Dicarbonyl compounds, such as 1-, 3-deoxyosones and 1,4-dideoxyosones, as well as short-chain dicarbonyls, such as methylgyoxal or glyoxal, are key compounds of the Maillard browning reaction. The alpha-dicarbonyls are also starting materials for polymerization reactions which lead to formation of carbohydrate-based melanoidins. With regard to the dicarbonyl compound, different possible chemical structures of melanoidins will be discussed. The analysis by size-exclusion chromatography revealed that those colored compounds differ in their molecular size and are directly associated with reactions having specific alpha-dicarbonyl compounds.
authors.affiliation: Berlin University of Technology, Department of Food Chemistry and Food Analysis, Berlin, Germany. lothar.kroh@tu-berlin.de
authors.forename: Lothar W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Kroh
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D006037:Glyoxal / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D011108:Polymers; C447155:alpha-dicarbonyl methylglyoxal; C011908:melanoidin polymers; D006037:Glyoxal