The Use of Capillary Electrophoresis to Investigate the Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure on the Maillard Reaction

High pressure processing using pressures in the range 100 - 1000 MPa is now a commercially viable preservation technique for selected foods. Such foods, typically jams and fruit juices, are believed to posses superior colour and flavour, retaining many of their natural qualities. Very little is known about the effect of pressure in this region on the Maillard reaction. Aqueous glucose - lysine solutions (initial pH 10.1) were reacted at 60°C at either atmospheric pressure or 600 MPa. The total reaction mixtures were analysed by capillary electrophoresis with diode-array detection. The data suggested that the atmospheric and highpressure systems were similar qualitatively but that some large quantitative differences existed. Larger amounts of a “pyridine-like” compound were seen in the high-pressure system, whilst other compounds were present at either lower or higher amounts in the high-pressure system.