A MULTIDETECTOR HPLC SYSTEM FOR THE ANALYSIS OF AMADORI AND OTHER MAILLARD REACTION INTERMEDIATES

Most of the HPLC- and GLC-based analytical procedures described in the literature and used to analyze Maillard reaction mixtures attempt to separate and identify Amadori products; however, many of the other important intermediates that form during this reaction are fluorescent species or contain redox moieties that do not absorb in the visible or ultraviolet regions. To detect simultaneously (and on-line) a wide variety of such products and to follow their kinetics, an HPLC with diode array detector was coupled in parallel to fluorescence and electrochemical detectors. A fraction collector was interfaced to the system and connected to the effluent, exiting the fluorescence detector to collect fractions for further analysis. The potential of such a system to analyze complex Maillard reaction mixtures and to detect different types of Amadori products (aromatic and non-aromatic) in the presence of starting sugars and amino acids was demonstrated.