Carbonylation of Myofibrillar Proteins through the Maillard Pathway: Effect of Reducing Sugars and Reaction Temperature

Carbonylation is recognized as one of the most remarkable chemical modifications in oxidized proteins and is generally ascribed to the direct attack of free radicals to basic amino acid residues. The purpose of this work was to investigate the formation of specific carbonyls, α-aminoadipic and γ-glutamic semialdehydes (AAS and GGS, respectively), in myofibrillar proteins (MP) through a Maillard-type pathway in the presence of reducing sugars. The present study confirmed the concurrent formation of protein carbonyls and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) during incubation (80 °C/48 h) of MP (4 mg/mL) in the presence of reducing sugars (0.5 M). Copper irons (10 μM) were found to promote the formation of protein carbonyls, and a specific inhibitor of the Maillard reaction (0.02 M pyridoxamine) blocked the carbonylation process which emphasize the occurrence of a Maillard-type pathway. The Maillard-mediated carbonylation occurred in a range of reducing sugars (0.02–0.5 M) and reaction temperatures (4–110 °C) compatible with food systems. Upcoming studies on this topic may contribute further to shed light on the complex interactions between protein oxidation and the Maillard reaction and the impact of the protein damage on food quality and human health.