Food polyphenols and Maillard reaction: regulation effect and chemical mechanism

Abstract

Maillard reaction is a non-enzymatic thermal reaction during food processing and storage. It massively contributes to the flavor, color, health benefits and safety of foods and could be briefly segmented into initial, intermediate and final stages with the development of a cascade of chemical reactions. During thermal reaction of food ingredients, sugar, protein and amino acids are usually the main substrates, and polyphenols co-existed in food could also participate in the Maillard reaction as a modulator. Polyphenols including flavan-3-ols, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, and tannins have shown various effects throughout the process of Maillard reaction, including conjugating amino acids/sugars, trapping α-dicarbonyls, capturing Amadori rearrangement products (ARPs), as well as decreasing acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) levels. These effects significantly influenced the flavor, taste and color of processed foods, and also decreased the hazard products’ level. The chemical mechanism of polyphenols-Maillard products involved the scavenging of radicals, as well as nucleophilic addition and substitution reactions. In the present review, we concluded and discussed the interaction of polyphenols and Maillard reaction, and proposed some perspectives for future studies.

Highlights

• Food polyphenols regulate Maillard reaction through substrates, initial, intermediate and final stages/products of Maillard reaction.

• The trapping ability of food polyphenols on α-dicarbonyls relied on the structural properties, and was also affected by reaction conditions such as pH value.

• Food polyphenols could act as potential inhibitors toward the formation of harmful compounds during advanced and final stages of Maillard reaction.

• The chemical mechanism of polyphenols-Maillard reaction products involved the scavenging of radicals, as well as nucleophilic addition and substitution.

Keywords:

• Advanced glycation end products
• carbonyl trapping
• dicarbonyls
• Maillard reaction
• Polyphenols
• volatile compounds

Author contributions

ZH, MZ and LZ wrote the manuscript, XW and XZ revised the chemical part of polyphenols, C-T Ho revised the whole paper. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (32122079, 32072633, and 32072634), Anhui Key Research and Development Plan (202104b11020001) and China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-19).