Figure 2.

(A) Simple representation of the Maillard reaction, showing the Schiff base and Amadori compound formed from the reaction of glucose (an aldose) with free amino acids (fructose and other ketoses would form related Heynes compounds). Carbonyl compounds such as deoxyosones are formed by enolisation, deamination, dehydration, and fragmentation of Amadori and Heynes compounds, and react again with free amino acids to give a plethora of products, some of which are shown. (B) Formation of acrylamide by Strecker degradation of free asparagine [19].