Ethanol in food: liquid-vapour partition in model systems containing Maillard reaction products

The effect of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) with different browning deg ree on the liquid-vapour partition of ethanol was studied in model systems. In particular, glucose-glycine aqueous solutions subjected to different he at treatments, which consequentely had different water activity values, wer e added to increasing amounts of ethanol and analysed for ethanol vapour pr essure. In order to study the effects of the water activity change and of m elanoidins' formation on the ethanol partition, experiments were also carri ed out on samples equilibrated at the same water activity. Ethanol vapour p ressure decreased as the Maillard reaction proceeded. This result was attri buted to the increase in water activity rather than to binding effects of m elanoidins towards ethanol. Changes in water activity were mainly due to re agent consumption, water molecule formation and melanoidin production. (C) 1999 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevi er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.