page_title: Food browning
section_title: Non-enzymatic browning
hierarchical_section_title: Food browning / Non-enzymatic browning
caption_attribution_description: English: Example reaction of how table sugar (sucrose) caramelizes as a result of heat. The resulting substance is a brown nutty flavor.
context_page_description: Browning is the process of food turning brown due to the chemical reactions that take place within.
  The process of browning is one of the chemical reactions that take place in food chemistry and represents an interesting research topic regarding health, nutrition, and food technology. Though there are many different ways food chemically changes over time, browning in particular falls into 2 main categories: enzymatic versus non-enzymatic browning processes.
  Browning has many important implications on the food industry relating to nutrition, technology, and economic cost. Researchers are especially interested in studying the control of browning and the different methods that can be employed to maximize this inhibition and ultimately prolong the shelf life of food.
context_section_description: The second type of browning, nonenzymatic browning, is a process that also produces the brown pigmentation in foods, but without the activity of enzymes. The two main forms of non-enzymatic browning are caramelization and the Maillard reaction. Both vary in the reaction rate as a function of water activity (in food chemistry, the standard state of water activity is most often defined as the partial vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature).
  Caramelization is a process involving the pyrolysis of sugar. It is used extensively in cooking for the desired nutty flavor and brown color. As the process occurs, volatile chemicals are released, producing the characteristic caramel flavor.
  The other non-enzymatic reaction is the Maillard reaction. This reaction is responsible for the production of the flavor when foods are cooked. Examples of foods that undergo Maillard reaction include breads, steaks, and potatoes. It is a chemical reaction that takes place between the amine group of a free amino acid and the carbonyl group of a reducing sugar, usually with the addition of heat. The sugar interacts with the amino acid, producing a variety of odors and flavors. The Maillard reaction is the basis for producing artificial flavors for processed foods in the flavoring industry, since the type of amino acid involved determines the resulting flavor.
  Melanoidins are brown, high molecular weight heterogeneous polymers that are formed when sugars and amino acids combine through the Maillard reaction at high temperatures and low water activity. Melanoidins are commonly present in foods that have undergone some form of non-enzymatic browning, such as barley malts (Vienna and Munich), bread crust, bakery products and coffee. They are also present in the wastewater of sugar refineries, necessitating treatment in order to avoid contamination around the outflow of these refineries.
caption: Example caramelization of table sugar (sucrose) caramelizing to a brown nutty flavor substance (furan and maltol)
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