Maillard Reaction Lab Report

The lab we conducted involved a process called the Maillard Reaction. When it comes to cooking meats, heating the food causes the proteins, especially those nearest the surface of the meat, to denature. These denatured proteins become more chemically reactive to other molecules in their environment. One of the primary reactions that occur when browning meats and many other foods is called the Maillard Reaction.
The Maillard Reaction is a non-enzymatic chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that commonly give brown foods their desired flavor. This reaction is also commonly referred to as the browning reaction due to the fact that the products of the chemical reactions have a brown color. As the chemical reaction proceeds, a series of chemical ring structures are formed that reflect brown light, thus providing the color.
The essential chemical reaction in this process occurs between an amino acid and a reducing sugar. The molecules of the amino acids and sugars combine to form new aromas and flavors. Amino acids are the biologically …show more content…
Like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning. In the process, hundreds of different flavor compounds are created. These compounds in turn break down to form yet more new flavor compounds, and so on. Each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavor compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction. Maillard reactions are important in baking, frying or otherwise heating of nearly all foods. Maillard reactions are partly responsible for the flavor of bread, cookies, cakes, meat, beer, chocolate, popcorn, cooked rice. In many cases, such as in coffee, the flavor is a combination of Maillard reactions and caramelization. However, caramelization only takes place above 120-150 °C, whereas Maillard reactions already occur at room