Maillard reaction

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/maillard-reaction

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Maillard reaction?1912
2. What is the scientific classification?Non-enzymatic browning reaction
3. What is the discoverer?Louis Camille Maillard
4. Why does bread get a brown crust when baked?The heat in the oven triggers the Maillard reaction, producing melanoidins that turn the crust brown and add a tasty, slightly sweet flavor.
5. How does the Maillard reaction make a steak taste so good?When a steak sears, the reaction creates special compounds like pyrazines and furans that give the meat a deep, roasted, meaty taste.

Nucleophilic Amino Group: The electron-rich nitrogen part of an amino acid that readily attacks other molecules.
Electrophilic Carbonyl Group: The electron-deficient carbon part of a sugar that is susceptible to attack by nucleophiles.
Amadori Rearrangement: A key step in the Maillard reaction where a glycosylamine rearranges to form a more stable Amadori product.
Melanoidins: Complex, high-molecular-weight brown polymers formed during the Maillard reaction, responsible for color and contributing to flavor.