The Maillard Reaction

Abstract

In September 2009, a meeting was held in Palm Cove, Australia, which brought together the world experts in the Maillard or 'browning' reaction. This reaction causes the browning of foods when they are heated and in chocolate, caramel and beer, this reaction is appetizing, contributing to aroma, taste and texture. But when these products accumulate in the body, this same process contributes to disease and ageing. The book is the proceedings of that meeting, held in response to a growing recognition of the role reactive carbonyl compounds play in food technology, nutrition and tissue ageing in biology and medicine. Reactive carbonyls now touch every aspect of food science, biology and medicine. Efforts to counteract the damage caused by these products are gaining acceptance as a basis for novel therapeutic approaches, and the fields of food technology, ageing and preventive medicine are experiencing an upsurge of interest in strategies to minimize the unwanted effects of the Maillard reaction. The meeting also fostered a balanced approach to understanding both the advantageous and deleterious properties of carbonyl compounds and their end products in food science, technology and medicine. The major audience of this book is the large body of scientists and worldwide industries with an interest in the Maillard reaction in foods and biology and medicine, with both basic and applied researchers and industry representatives from diverse fields, who have interests in: * Chemistry of the Maillard Reaction * Biology and the Maillard Reaction * Enzymology, Receptors and Signal Transduction * Bioinformatics and Systems Biology * Physiology, Disease and Therapeutics * Food Science and Nutrition and the Maillard Reaction