Browning (food process)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Browning is the process of becoming brown, especially referring to food. Browning foods may be desirable, as in caramelization, or undesirable, as in an apple turning brown after being cut. Foods, including beverages, can turn brown through either enzymatic or non-enzymatic processes.Enzymatic browning is a chemical process, involving polyphenol oxidase, catechol oxidase and other enzymes that create melanins and benzoquinone, resulting in a brown color. Enzymatic browning generally requires exposure to oxygen, thus the browning that occurs when an apple, for example, is cut.Nonenzymatic, or oxidative, browning is a chemical process that produces a brown color in foods without the activity of enzymes. The two main forms of nonenzymatic browning are caramelization and the Maillard reaction. Both vary in reaction rate as a function of water activity.... Mehr