Dicarbonyl intermediates: A control factor in the maillard reaction

Maillard reaction starts from two simple reactants, the reducing sugar and amino acid, but it is a very complicated reaction consisting of many parallel and consecutive reaction cascades. Each of those reaction cascades, in which the corresponding intermediate (e.g. 3-deoxyosone, methylglyoxal or formaldehyde) are involved, would lead to the generation of a group of specific flavor compounds. All these intermediates occur in the Maillard reaction, and participate in different reaction cascades competitively. How the reaction goes depends on the competitiveness of each intermediate. Controlling the Maillard reaction is indeed to control the kinetic and mechanisms of intermediate formation. First of all, types of reactants and reaction conditions (temperature ranges, pH and water activity) definitely influence the generation of intermediates. Second, adding trapping agents of intermediates is considered as an effective way to block the reaction cascade and change the Maillard reaction.