On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1463

Caramelization The simplest browning reaction is the caramelization of sugar, and it’s not simple at all (p 656) When we heat plain table sugar, essentially just molecules of sucrose, it first melts into a thick syrup, then slowly changes color, becoming light yellow and progressively deepening to a dark brown At the same time, its flavor, initially sweet and odorless, develops acidity, some bitterness, and a rich aroma The chemical reactions involved in this transformation are many, and they result in the formation of hundreds of different reaction products, among them sour organic acids, sweet and bitter derivatives, many fragrant volatile molecules, and browncolored polymers It’s a remarkable change, and a fortunate one: it contributes to the pleasures of many candies and other sweets The Maillard Reactions Even more fortunate and complex are the reactions responsible for the cooked color and flavor of bread crusts, chocolate, coffee beans, dark beers, and roasted meats, all foods that are not primarily sugar These are known as the Maillard reactions, after Louis Camille Maillard, a French physician, who discovered and described them around 1910 The sequence begins with the reaction of a carbohydrate molecule (a free sugar or one bound up in starch; glucose and fructose are more reactive than table sugar) and an amino acid (free or part of a protein chain) An unstable intermediate structure is formed, and this then undergoes further changes, producing hundreds of different by-products Again, a brown coloration and full, intense flavor result Maillard flavors are more complex and meaty than caramelized flavors, because the involvement of the amino acids adds nitrogen and sulfur atoms to the mix of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and produces ...Even more fortunate and complex are the reactions responsible for the cooked color and flavor of bread crusts, chocolate, coffee beans, dark beers, and roasted meats, all foods that are not primarily sugar These are known as... These are known as the Maillard reactions, after Louis Camille Maillard, a French physician, who discovered and described them around 1910 The sequence begins with the reaction of a carbohydrate molecule (a free sugar or one... complex and meaty than caramelized flavors, because the involvement of the amino acids adds nitrogen and sulfur atoms to the mix of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and produces