Welcome
The INTERNATIONAL MAILLARD REACTION SOCIETY was established in 2005 in response to a growing recognition of the role glycation plays in food technology, nutrition and tissue aging in biology and medicine.
Glycation by simple sugars (saccharides) and related compounds are both necessary for flavor enhancement in foods and biological reactions. They can also lead to toxic compounds in foods and biological systems. While “oxidant stress” has long been recognized to play an important role in biological systems, it is only recently that glycation and related “dicarbonyl stress” (the accumulation of reactive α-oxoaldehydes such as methylglyoxal, glyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone and others) has been found to play an equally important role in biology and medicine. Moreover, there is an intimate interplay between oxidative and glycation reactions, both of which contribute to damage to sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and DNA in foods and biological systems.
Thus glycation now touches every aspect of food science, biology and medicine. Efforts to counteract the damage caused by these species are gaining acceptance as a basis for novel therapeutic approaches, and the fields of food technology and preventive medicine are experiencing an upsurge of interest in strategies to minimize the unwanted effects of the Maillard reaction.
Glycation by simple sugars (saccharides) and related compounds are both necessary for flavor enhancement in foods and biological reactions. They can also lead to toxic compounds in foods and biological systems. While “oxidant stress” has long been recognized to play an important role in biological systems, it is only recently that glycation and related “dicarbonyl stress” (the accumulation of reactive α-oxoaldehydes such as methylglyoxal, glyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone and others) has been found to play an equally important role in biology and medicine. Moreover, there is an intimate interplay between oxidative and glycation reactions, both of which contribute to damage to sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and DNA in foods and biological systems.
Thus glycation now touches every aspect of food science, biology and medicine. Efforts to counteract the damage caused by these species are gaining acceptance as a basis for novel therapeutic approaches, and the fields of food technology and preventive medicine are experiencing an upsurge of interest in strategies to minimize the unwanted effects of the Maillard reaction.
Louis Camille Maillard
Maillard was a French physicist and chemist who lends his name to the Maillard Reaction. His vital research on interactions between reducing sugars and amino acids described this "browning reaction" early in the 20th century.
Why join IMARS?
The International Maillard Reaction Society is funded through membership fees and tax deductible donations. IMARS is most grateful for every contribution that will help sustain its mission. Research scientists are invited to join as members and corporations are invited to join the Honor Roll of IMARS as Charter Members.
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Images by Eva van Wassenhove and QIAGEN used under CC BY 2.0 and CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 respectively.