Effect of glucose and glycine addition to cocoa mass before roasting on Maillard precursor consumption and pyrazine formation

Cocoa mass was treated with glucose and/or glycine before roasting. For glucose‐treated samples the reductions in reducing sugars and free amino acids were 41.1 and 56.9% respectively, whereas for glycine‐treated samples the respective reductions were 16.2 and 37.4%. The combination of glucose plus glycine treatment led to 39.0 and 48.9% reductions in reducing sugars and free amino acids respectively. For free amino acids the reductions in control and glucose‐treated samples were similar, 56.2 and 56.9% respectively, indicating that the added glucose did not significantly (P < 0.05) influence the free amino acid uptake. When glycine was added, the consumption of free amino acids (37.4%) was lower than for the control and glucose treatments. When glucose and glycine were added, the reduction in free amino acids (48.9%) was lower than for the control and glucose treatments but higher than for the glycine treatment. Apparently, glycine addition inhibited the reducing sugar and free amino acid consumption, whereas glucose addition enhanced the reducing sugar and free amino acid consumption. The glucose plus glycine treatment was similar to the glycine treatment in the contents of 2,5‐dimethyl‐ and trimethylpyrazines. For 2‐methylpyrazine the value for glucose‐treated samples was lower than for control and glycine‐treated samples but almost equal to the value for the glucose plus glycine treatment. It is concluded that the addition of glucose and/or glycine does not affect pyrazine production. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry