Isotope labeling studies on the mechanism of Maillard reaction

糖和氨基酸是热加工食品产生独特香气和颜色的关键成分。许多味道不好的生食可以通过糖和氨基酸的相互作用（称为美拉德反应）转化为理想的产品，如面包烘焙，咖啡烘焙和巧克力制造。同样的化学相互作用也是在烹饪过程中产生食物毒物的原因，如杂环胺，丙烯酰胺，呋喃和糖毒素。它们是在加工过程中通过蛋白质在糖存在下的热降解在食物中形成的，并且可能是健康问题的来源，因为最近发现富含糖毒素的食物（例如油炸，烧烤与煮）的消费水平与衰老相关的疾病之间存在联系。了解这些重要毒物在食物中形成的机制，有助于我们控制它们的产生。寻找最佳条件来降低不同有毒物质的水平，同时保留美拉德衍生的芳香化合物，从而提高食品的质量和安全性，是当今食品行业的主要挑战之一。

Sugars and amino acids are the key components responsible for the generation of distinctive aroma and color of food products subjected to thermal processing. Many unpleasant-tasting raw foods can be transformed by the interaction of sugars and amino acids (known as Maillard reaction) into desirable products via processes such as bread baking, coffee roasting and chocolate manufacture. The same chemical interaction is also responsible for the thermal generation of food toxicants during cooking such as heterocyclic amines, acrylamide, furan and glycotoxins. They are formed in food during processing through thermal degradation of proteins in the presence of sugars and can be a source of health concern due to recently identified link between the levels of consumption of foods rich in glycotoxins (such as fried, grilled vs boiled) and diseases associated with aging. Understanding the mechanism by which the important toxicants are formed in food, can contribute to our ability to control their generation. Finding optimal conditions to lower the levels of different toxicants and at the same time retain the Maillard-derived aroma compounds and hence improve the quality and safety of foods, is one of the main challenges of the food industry today.