5. Glossary

enzymatic browning; brunissement enzymatique

A natural process that transforms the color of food into brown, which is particularly noticeable in light-colored foods such as certain fruits and vegetables (potatoes, lettuce, apples, pears, etc.). It most frequently involves an enzyme, polyphenol oxidase, which in the presence of oxygen transforms phenolic compounds into brown melanins and benzo-quinones.

non-enzymatic browning; brunissement non enzymatique

Set of three main, successive reactions identified by Louis Camille Maillard. A first condensation step leads to the formation of a carbonylamine, corresponding to a covalent bond between a carbonyl group and an amine function of a free or protein amino acid. The second stage, the Amadori and Heyns-Carson rearrangements, leads to the formation of brown products known...