Density functional theory insights into the most reactive sugar and amino acid pair for Amadori rearrangement in the Maillard reaction.

Ruilong Li, Meiyu Fu, Lingfeng Yang, Xiaolong Feng, Yi Wang, Liang Dong

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Article in Current research in food science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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Ruilong LiAnhui Ecological Fermentation Engineering Research Center for Functional Fruit Beverage, School of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, Anhui, 236037, China.

Meiyu FuSchool of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning, 116034, China.

Lingfeng YangAnhui Ecological Fermentation Engineering Research Center for Functional Fruit Beverage, School of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, Anhui, 236037, China.

Xiaolong FengAnhui Ecological Fermentation Engineering Research Center for Functional Fruit Beverage, School of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, Anhui, 236037, China.

Yi WangSchool of Biotechnology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning, 116034, China.

Liang DongSchool of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning, 116034, China.

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Abstract

The Maillard reaction is fundamental to food flavor and color, with the Amadori rearrangement as a critical branching point. Using density functional theory, this study investigated the Amadori rearrangement mechanisms between glucose and 20 amino acids, and between leucine and 10 sugars. Leucine exhibited the lowest energy barrier (93.55 kJ/mol) in the rate-determining condensation step with glucose, significantly lower than other amino acids (133.73-221.22 kJ/mol). For subsequent dicarbonyl formation, leucine maintained the lowest energy barriers across all pH conditions. Among sugars, glucose showed the lowest condensation barrier (93.55 kJ/mol) versus others (128.77-162.98 kJ/mol). Reactivity order with leucine was: glucose > lactose > xylose > erythrose > arabinose > galactose > maltose > fructose > sucrose > mannose. Based on a comparison of DFT-calculated energy barriers, this study identifies leucine and glucose as the most reactive amino acid and sugar in the Maillard reaction, providing theoretical foundations for targeted product regulation and rational selection of sugar-amino acid pairs to control flavor, color, and safety in thermally processed foods.

Indexed as

Amadori rearrangementDensity functional theoryGlucoseLeucineMaillard reaction

Identifiers

PMID42440497

DOI10.1016/j.crfs.2026.101485

PMCPMC13333375

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