![]() As the temperature of cooking food rises above 165☌, the surface of the food dries out and it begins to burn. Pyrolysis, from the Greek meaning ‘to break with fire’, involves the breakdown of complex molecules into smaller fragments using heat alone. What happens though when food is left in the oven for too long, and at too high a temperature? The Maillard reaction continues optimally between 140 and 165☌ but above these temperatures, other reactions such as pyrolysis become more prominent. This Maillard reaction forms the foundation of the flavour industry as by tweaking the reaction conditions it is possible to create a vast array of different flavours.ĭinner is ready when the smoke alarm goes off The flavours of foods are a result of many factors including the composition of sugars and amino acids present, the cooking time and temperature, and the pH of the cooking environment. The Maillard reaction does not begin until above 140 ☌, and, until the reaction begins to take place, the distinct flavours we associate with foods like meat cannot be released. This reaction series continues fairly freely and can result in the formation of thousands of different molecules, including melanoidins (responsible for the brown colour of cooking food), and furans, (molecules that produce the meaty flavour in our foods). This process, named for the French chemist who studied it, is the reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars in the presence of heat.Ĭhemically speaking, the carbonyl group of our reducing sugar (a sugar which can readily give away some of its electrons to other molecules) reacts with the amino group of an amino acid, producing a molecule known as an N-substituted glycosylamine. Whether you’re cooking meat, toasting bread or roasting coffee, you’re performing a particular chemical reaction – the Maillard reaction. What nobody has time to consider at this time in the morning is whether or not burnt toast is actually bad for you. It’s happened a thousand times, to you and many others. In too much of a hurry to care, you gobble it down anyway on your way out the door. When you do finally remember about your toast, it’s black. ![]() You realise that you’ve slept in, and, in your rush not to be late, you run downstairs and shove some bread into the toaster, running away to brush your teeth, pack a bag, find your bus pass… Quickly forgetting your rapidly toasting bread. It’s Monday morning again, your alarm is going off and, yes, that is most definitely rain you can hear battering off the window.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |