A comparison study between antioxidant and mutagenic properties of cysteine glucose-derived Maillard reaction products and neoformed products from heated cysteine and hydroxymethylfurfural

It was previously reported that Maillard reaction products (MRP) obtained from glucose with cysteine (1 M/0.25 M) mixtures and compounds generated during the mixing of heated cysteine with HMF solutions (Mix) were prone to inactivate various vegetal polyphenoloxidases (PPO). In this study, antioxidant properties of these model systems were compared using in vitro assays (AAPH°, DPPH° and TMM tests). Results showed that antioxidant activity observed in MRP and the Mix could be attributed to the sulfhydryl group of cysteine. The Mix behaved like a non-competitive inhibitor towards eggplant PPO (Ki = 0.7 μM). A highly active fraction, devoid of thiol compound and HMF, was obtained after fractionation of the Mix by SPE. The Mix was as efficient as metabisulfite in preventing enzymatic browning of apple puree (CIE-La∗b∗). MRP, the Mix and HMF could not be considered as mutagenic in the Salmonella microsome assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and 102 strains.