Reaction kinetics and shelf-life prediction of Maillard reaction products in milk simulated system with tea polyphenols

To better monitor and reduce the generation of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) during the heat treatment and storage of dairy products , a reaction kinetic model was established to evaluate the inhibitory effects of tea polyphenols on MRPs in the milk simulation system. The inhibition of MRPs by tea polyphenols followed first order kinetics, while the inhibition of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF) was most pronounced at 95 °C with the reaction rate constant of −0.0683 d −1 . Arrhenius model showed that the conversion rate of 5-HMF (35.672 d −1 ) was higher than N ε -carboxyethyllysine (2.585 d −1 ) and N ε -carboxymethyllysine (0.53 d −1 ) after the addition of tea polyphenols, which indicated that 5-HMF was the main intermediate product of Maillard reaction. Moreover, the shelf life of the two-stage sterilised milk containing tea polyphenols was 141 d, which was 2.1 times longer than that of the control sample (67 d), which provided reference for consumers during the drinking period.