Contribution of 3-Deoxyglucosone as an Intermediate to Browning of Saké

Quantification of dicarbonyl compounds in commonly consumed foods and drinks; presentation of a food composition database for dicarbonyls

Dicarbonyls are reactive precursors of advanced glycation endproducts. They are formed endogenously and during food processing. Currently, a comprehensive database on dicarbonyls in foods that covers the entire range of food groups is lacking, limiting knowledge about the amount of dicarbonyls that is ingested via food. The aim of this study was to analyze the dicarbonyls methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) in commonly-consumed products in a Western diet. We validated a UHPLC-MS/MS method to quantify MGO, GO, and 3-DG. We present a dietary dicarbonyl database of 223 foods and drinks. Total dicarbonyl concentrations were highest in dried fruit, Dutch spiced cake, and candy bars (>400 mg/kg). Total dicarbonyl concentrations were lowest in tea, dairy, light soft drinks, and rice (<10 mg/kg). The presented database of MGO, GO, and 3-DG opens the possibility to accurately estimate dietary exposure to these dicarbonyls, and explore their physiological impact on human health.

Identification and determination of 3-deoxyglucosone and glucosone in carbohydrate-rich foods

BACKGROUND

α-Dicarbonyl compounds (α-DCs) such as 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) and glucosone are markers of both Maillard and degradation reactions of sugars and also of certain enzymatic processes. However, quantitation of these compounds is not straightforward when more abundant carbohydrates are present in real samples. Therefore in this work a GC/MS method was developed to separate monosaccharides, 3-DG and glucosone and applied to analyze them in carbohydrate-rich food products. Difructose anhydrides (DFAs), known markers of sugar degradation, were also determined. The effect of time and temperature in the production and storage of these compounds was also evaluated.

RESULTS

Under optimized conditions, good separation between monosaccharides and α-DCs was achieved. Must syrups showed the highest concentrations of 3-DG and glucosone (average values 9.2 and 5.8 mg g(-1) respectively). Coffee substitutes based on carob, chicory and blends showed the highest content of DFAs. Heating and storage assays proved that production of 3-DG was influenced by temperature, while glucosone was more affected by storage time.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method allows the rapid quantitation of 3-DG and glucosone along with carbohydrates and DFAs in different food products, which is essential to determine their degradation level. Moreover, the α-DC content in several foods is reported for the first time.