Presence of Maillard products in Spanish muffins and evaluation of colour and antioxidant potential

Spanish muffins are bakery products widely consumed in Spain. During their elaboration process MRPs are formed, being partially responsible for muffin characteristics including their antioxidant capacity. The main aim of the study was evaluating the amount, colour and antioxidant capacity of different fractions of MRPs (low and high molecular weight) isolated from commercial muffins. The fraction of high molecular weight (melanoidins) showed to have a higher antioxidant capacity, measured by ABTS and FRAP, than LMW ones. Significant and relatively close correlations between colour parameters and antioxidant capacity were observed for global MRPs, but only occasionally when isolated fractions of melanoidins and LMW were studied. As summary, it can be said that global MRPs present in muffins, apart from contributing to colour and flavour, can also contribute significantly to muffin conservation, due to their appreciable antioxidant capacity, which seems to be directly correlated with of their colour, although this fact is not extrapolated to isolated fractions of melanoidins and LMW MRPs. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.