Structure and flavor characteristics of Maillard reaction products derived from soybean meal hydrolysates-reducing sugars

In this study, the structure and flavor characteristics of soybean meal hydrolysates-reducing sugars Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were evaluated. Sugars added to the soybean meal enzymatic hydrolysates increased the Maillard reactivity in the following order: hexose < pentose. Results indicated that the intrinsic fluorescence intensity of MRPs increased, whereas the absorption peak intensity of the infrared spectrum changed significantly. Molecular weight analysis results showed that the MRPs were mainly distributed between 128-500 and 500–1000 Da. Furthermore, the bitter amino acid content (9.29 mg/g) and umami amino acid content (3.60 mg/g) were relatively high in ribose-MRPs. The umami, richness and bitterness values of pentose-MRPs were higher than those of hexose-MRPs. Moreover, the analysis of volatile substances showed that the ribose-MRPs presented a stronger caramel aroma, nutty flavor, and grilled meat flavor.