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Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Food Chemistry and Composition

Maillard reaction

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

nounCommon term

In food science & technology, Maillard reaction means: A chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars during heating that creates the brown colors and typical flavors of bread crust, roasted coffee and grilled meat.

In Turkish: Maillard reaksiyonu, enzimatik olmayan esmerleşme

How it is used

A type of non-enzymatic browning. It is wanted in baking, roasting and frying but unwanted in stored milk powder or UHT milk. It can also form acrylamide in fried potatoes and biscuits, so producers control temperature, time and sugar levels. It is named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard.

Example sentences

  1. The Maillard reaction gives the biscuits their golden color, but we lowered the oven temperature to reduce acrylamide.

  2. Storing milk powder in a hot warehouse speeds up the Maillard reaction and turns it brown.

Common collocations

  • Maillard browning
  • non-enzymatic browning
  • reducing sugars
  • acrylamide formation
  • enzymatic browningThe browning of cut or bruised fruits and vegetables when enzymes, mainly polyphenol oxidase, react with natural phenolic compounds and oxygen from the air.
  • carbohydrateOne of the main groups of nutrients, including sugars, starch and fiber, made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen; it is the main source of energy in most diets.
  • proteinA large molecule made of amino acids that is a key nutrient and also gives many foods their structure, for example in meat, cheese, bread dough and egg white.
  • heat treatmentAny process that uses heat to make food safe, extend its shelf life or change its properties, such as pasteurization, sterilization, blanching or cooking.

More terms: Food Chemistry and Composition

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