Antimicrobial, antioxidant and sensory properties of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) derived from sunflower, soybean and corn meal hydrolysates

Nowadays, proteins from different plant materials are used to produce Maillard reaction products (MRPs). In this study, antimicrobial, antioxidant and sensory properties of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) derived from three plant materials namely sunflower (SF), soybean (SB) and corn (CN) meals were investigated. These MRPs were prepared by mixing each protein hydrolysate (60 g), with xylose (0.595 g) and cysteine (0.372 g) at pH of 7.4, and then heated at 120 degrees C for 2 h. Results revealed that only SF-MRPs show an antimicrobial effect against tested strains (Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli). SF-MRPs showed greater antioxidant activity followed by SB-MRPs and CN-MRPs. Additionally, CN-MRPs showed higher umami, continuity and mouthfulness sensory attributes compared to SF-MRPs and SB-MRPs. It is therefore deduced that SF-MRPs could be used as potential food ingredients in food products due to their relatively high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. On the other hand, SF-MRPs could potentially be used as functional food, which could be of great potential for food industries.