Effect of heat treatment and dough formulation on the formation of Maillard reaction products in fine bakery products – benefits and weak points

20 © 2009 VÚP Food Research Institute, Bratislava Thermal treatment, a common way of improving digestibility, safety and quality of many foods, is used for ages. Besides unambiguous desirable aspects of Maillard reaction associated with this treatment, which is responsible for the development of the brown colour and many sensorially active components of food, certain detrimental effects of this process are still emerging, e.g. loss of nutritionally important compounds and undesirable generation of contaminants. Some Maillard reaction products (MRP) such as acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, β-carboline, furan, hydroxymethyl furfural, are related to a variety of diseases, e. g. diabetes and cancer [1]. However, the hazard of human carcinogenesis caused by the consumption of MRP seems to be relatively small. In contrast, many positive effects have been attributed to MRP, such as antioxidant activity originating in particular in melanoidins and pronyl-lysine present in the bread crust, which have been shown to have beneficial effects on human health [1]. The antioxidant activity of MRP also contributes substantially to the shelf life of heat-treated food products. Among the mentioned harmful aspects, the acrylamide issue has taken great attention since 2002 due to its frequent occurrence in food products processed at temperatures higher than 120 °C [2]. The recent assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives since 2005 has confirmed that a risk following from the estimated exposure to acrylamide by dietary intake cannot be excluded. Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [3, 4]. Moreover, with respect to the last observations confirming the association between acrylamide intake and endometrial, ovarian, renal, and breast cancer risks [5–7], the demand for acrylamide mitigation seems urgent. Effect of heat treatment and dough formulation on the formation of Maillard reaction products in fine bakery products – benefits and weak points