Biological activities of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) in a sugar–amino acid model system

The various biological activities of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) from sugar (fructose and glucose) and 20 amino acid model systems were evaluated. Colour development, in vitro antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory, antihypertensive, and antiproliferative activities of aqueous solutions of MRPs produced by heating at 130 °C for 2 h were measured. The fructose–amino acid mixture showed higher UV-absorbance and browning intensity than the glucose–amino acid mixture. The fructose–amino acid model MRPs showed higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging and ACE inhibitory activities than the glucose–amino acid model MRPs. The α-glucosidase inhibitory effect of MRPs derived from fructose– and glucose–tyrosine showed higher α-glucosidase inhibitory activity than that of other MRPs. Sugar–amino acid model MRPs inhibited the growth of HCT116 colon cancer cell in a dose-dependent manner (from 0.5 to 1.5 mg/ml). Glucose MRPs showed slightly higher antiproliferative activity than fructose MRPs. In particular, sugar–tryptophan and –tyrosine MRPs exerted higher biological activities than the other MRPs.