Regulation of tea polyphenols in gluten-glucose Maillard reaction: Evaluation and analysis

Maillard reaction plays an important role in the flavour and color of some food. However, the excessive occurrence of Maillard reaction may affect the quality and safety of food. In this study, a simulated Maillard system composed of gluten and glucose was established to evaluate and analyze the regulatory role of tea polyphenols (TP) in it. The addition of tea polyphenols alleviated excessive browning of the Maillard reaction and significantly inhibited the accumulation of fructosamine and late glycosylation end products in the system. Based on the analysis of laser particle sizer and atomic force microscope, the large particle size distribution and aggregation structure of the Maillard reaction products in the tea polyphenol group disappeared. Further experiments showed that with the addition of tea polyphenols, the free radicals content in the system decreased, while the amount of reaction substrates increased. It was also shown that tea polyphenols effectively inhibited the isomerism of glucose to fructose and affected the content of free sulfhydryl and free amino groups in the system. The results indicated that tea polyphenols can regulate the Maillard reaction between gluten and glucose, which gives it the potential for application in the field of bakery and thermally processed foods.