Formation of Maillard Reaction Products in Aged Sorghum Vinegar during Ageing and Protective Effects of Pure Vinegar Melanoidin Against CCl4-Induced Rat Hepatic Damage

Xiaomin Tang; Xiaoyu Yin; Majida Al-Wraikat; Yaqiong Zhang; Saiping Zhou; Yingxue Tang; Yanyan Zhang; Junfeng Fan

doi:10.17113/ftb.61.01.23.7537

Formation of Maillard Reaction Products in Aged Sorghum Vinegar during Ageing and Protective Effects of Pure Vinegar Melanoidin Against CCl₄-Induced Rat Hepatic Damage

Food Technol Biotechnol. 2023 Mar;61(1):27-38. doi: 10.17113/ftb.61.01.23.7537.

Authors

Xiaomin Tang¹, Xiaoyu Yin¹, Majida Al-Wraikat¹, Yaqiong Zhang¹, Saiping Zhou¹, Yingxue Tang¹, Yanyan Zhang², Junfeng Fan¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Engineering, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Forest Food Processing and Safety, Beijing Forestry University, 35 Qinghua Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, PR China.
² College of Food Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Agriculture, 7 Beinong Road, Changping District, 102206 Beijing, PR China.

Abstract

Research background: The processing method generally affects the toxicity and biological activity of aged sorghum vinegar. This study investigates the changes in the intermediate Maillard reaction products of sorghum vinegar during ageing and the in vivo hepatoprotective effects of pure melanoidin obtained from it.

Experimental approach: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence spectrophotometry were utilized to quantify intermediate Maillard reaction products. The CCl₄-induced liver damage in rats was used to evaluate the protective role of pure melanoidin in rat liver.

Results and conclusions: Compared with the initial concentration, the 18-month ageing process caused a 1.2- to 3.3-fold increase in the concentrations of intermediate Maillard reaction products, i.e. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 5-methylfurfural (MF), methyglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The concentrations of HMF in the aged sorghum vinegar were 6.1-fold higher than the 450 μM limit standard for honey, implying the need for shortening the ageing of the vinegar in practice for safety concerns. Pure melanoidin (M_r>3.5 kDa) demonstrated significant protective effects against CCl₄-induced rat liver damage, as evidenced by normalized serum biochemical parameters (transaminases and total bilirubin), suppressing hepatic lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species, as well as increasing glutathione amount and restoring antioxidant enzyme activities. Histopathological analysis revealed that melanoidin in vinegar reduced cell infiltration and vacuolar hepatocyte necrosis in rat liver. The findings demonstrated that a shortened ageing process should be considered in practice to ensure the safety of aged sorghum vinegar. Vinegar melanoidin is a potential alternative for the prevention of hepatic oxidative damage.

Novelty and scientific contribution: This study demonstrates that the manufacturing process had a profound influence on the generation of vinegar intermediate Maillard reaction products. In particular, it revealed the in vivo hepatoprotective effect of pure melanoidin from aged sorghum vinegar, and provides insight into the in vivo biological activity of melanoidin.

Keywords: 5-HMF; advanced glycation end products; food safety; hepatoprotective effect; oxidative damage; reactive oxygen species.