Volatile Components Formed from Various Sugars with β-Alanine in Actual Cookies

Abstract

The formation of maltol in a Maillard reaction in a dry system was investigated by the detection of volatile components formed in actual cookies by HPLC and also by the measurement of those formed from the reaction of mono-, di- or trisaccharides added under dry conditions as a model system of cookie processing. 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-4(H)-pyran-4-one (maltol) is reported to be formed by the decomposition of 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4(N)-pyran-4-one (DDMP). If that is true, DDMP is the prime compound in the pathway to maltol in the Maillard reaction. DDMP was formed in both the actual cookies and model amino carbonyl reactions. However, maltol was not detected in every reaction of these dry systems. Another pathway, not through DDMP, seems to exist in the formation of maltol.