Formation and antioxidant activity of volatile compounds produced by heating glucose with tyrosine/histidine in water-ethanol and water-glycerol media

Volatile compounds prepared by heating glucose-tyrosine and glucose-histidine models in water-ethanol and water-glycerol media were studied under different water contents (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, v/v). Aliphatic compounds, cyclopentenones, pyrazines, furans, furanones and pyrones were identified by GC–MS and analysed by factor analysis which showed that the presence of ethanol or glycerol in water could result in the increase of most volatile compounds in the Maillard reaction with the higher amount of volatile compounds formed in water-ethanol media, especially in the 50% ethanol medium. The measurement of antioxidant activity revealed that volatile MRPs prepared in water-ethanol media showed greater DPPH radical scavenging activity than those in water-glycerol media with the maximal DPPH radical scavenging activity observed in 100% ethanol medium for the glucose-tyrosine model and in 75% ethanol medium for the glucose-histidine model. Hence, water-ethanol medium could be used to promote the formation of volatile compounds, especially those with antioxidant activity.