The role of lipids in nonenzymatic browning

Abstract

The role of lipids in nonenzymatic browning is studied by reviewing oxidized lipid/protein reactions in comparison with other reactions where the production of browning is known: the Maillard reaction, the ascorbic acid browning, and the quinone/amine reactions. The mechanisms proposed in these reactions for production of color and fluorescence, as well as the formation of melanoidins, lipofuscins, and low molecular weight colored products are discussed comparatively, concluding that the role of lipids in these reactions does not seem to be very different to the role of carbohydrates in the Maillard reaction or the phenols in the enzymatic browning. These carbonyl-amine reactions seem to be a group of gradual, partially reversible, universal, and inevitable side reactions in both food and biological systems. However, most of these results were obtained in model systems and additional studies should be carried out in systems closer to real foods or living beings, which should provide a more complete understanding of nonenzymatic browning, and, therefore, to afford a much more comprehensive knowledge of food and human biochemistry.