Maillard reaction

The Maillard reaction is a network of reactions between amino compounds and reducing sugars that produces brown pigments and diverse aromas and flavors, especially during heating.

Reducing sugar: A sugar that can donate electrons because it has a free or available carbonyl group. Its reactive carbonyl group initiates the reaction with amino compounds.
Searing: A high-heat cooking technique that rapidly browns the surface of food. Dry, intense surface heat promotes rapid Maillard browning on meat and other foods.
Amino acid: An organic molecule containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group; amino acids are protein building blocks. Amino groups on amino acids and proteins provide key reaction partners for sugars.
Caramelization: The heat-driven decomposition and polymerization of sugars without requiring amino compounds. It also browns food, but unlike the Maillard reaction it does not require amino groups.
Acrylamide: A small organic compound that can form in some starchy foods during high-temperature cooking. It can arise through pathways involving asparagine and sugar during intense browning.
Amadori rearrangement: A rearrangement that converts an initially formed glycosylamine from an aldose sugar into a more stable ketoamine. It is an early intermediate pathway after a reducing sugar binds an amino group.
Bread crust: The firm outer layer of baked bread, formed as its surface loses moisture and browns. Its color and toasted aroma arise partly from Maillard chemistry during baking.
Carbonyl group: A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen. The carbonyl group in a reducing sugar reacts with amino groups in the early stages.
Enzymatic browning: The discoloration of cut fruits and other foods caused by enzymes oxidizing phenolic compounds. It causes browning without the sugar–amino reaction or the high heat typical of cooking.
Advanced glycation end product: A diverse group of compounds formed through nonenzymatic reactions between sugars or their derivatives and proteins or other molecules. Maillard-related chemistry can produce these compounds in foods and living tissues.

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