美国科学60秒 SSS 2012-10-10

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As noted² in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, in 1912 Louis-Camille Maillard first described what happens when you cook sugars along with protein. Driven by the heat, these molecules³ react to produce a variety of savory⁴ smells and tastes, the good stuff in everything from grilled⁵ steak and French fries to dark roast coffee, maple⁶ syrup⁷, and crusty bread.

 

The reaction takes place pretty much any time you cook, which makes it the most favored and flavored chemistry around.

 

Of course, the Maillard reaction is not all peaches and cream or popcorn⁸ and caramel. The same chemistry can also create acrylamide, a potential carcinogen made when meat gets charred⁹ on the barbie. And so chemists continue to work adding flavor to foods while keeping them carcinogen-free. Now that’s a recipe that should win a ticket to Stockholm.

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