Inhibition of browning by antibrowning agents and phenolic acids or cinnamic acid in the glucose–lysine model

Abstract

Abstract The effects of antibrowning agents and phenolic acids or cinnamic acid on the inhibition of browning were investigated with a glucose–lysine model. Six antibrowning agents (cysteine, glutathione, sodium sulfite, pentasodium tripolyphosphate, citric acid and oxalic acid) and four phenolic acids (ferulic, hydroxybenzoic, syringic and vanillic acids) were used. In order to investigate the antibrowning capacity of these agents, model solutions containing glucose, lysine and an antibrowning agent were heated at 50 °C in the presence of FeCl 2 , before being stored in nitrogen or air at 4 °C or 30 °C. Browning was accelerated to some degree during storage in air at 30 °C. In the case of storage at 4 °C, however, no browning was detected in nitrogen after four weeks. Citric acid was the most efficient antibrowning agent during storage in air at 30 °C and inhibited browning to 36% after four weeks. However, its antibrowning capacity was increased by 8–15% in the presence of any of the phenolic acids or cinnamic acid, essentially independently of concentration in the range 10 µ M to 10 m M or the type of phenolic acid. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry