Development of the Maillard reaction in foods cooked by different techniques. Intake of Maillard-derived compounds

Specific and non-specific Maillard reaction (MR) indices such as CIELab colour, browning measurement, furosine, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, as well as the nutrient content, were analysed for commonly consumed dishes, to test the effects of different culinary treatment on dishes composed of the same ingredients. In addition, the consumption of early MR products (MRP), Amadori compounds, HMF and furfural from a normal serving of these dishes was calculated. As expected, recipes including frying, apart from their particular composition, led to significantly higher values of furosine and HMF, ranging from 4.40 to 175 and from 0.30 to 22.7 mg/kg, respectively; consequently they provided the highest levels of Amadori compounds and HMF intake (0.42–26.8 and 0.02–2.38 mg/serving, respectively). Even so, MRP intake/serving was not very high in comparison with levels reported in the bibliography on some individual foods typically studied in terms of MR development, suggesting that the culinary treatments used do not make a great contribution to the daily MRP consumption.