To obtain information about the extent of the early Maillard reaction between the N-termini of peptidesand lactose,
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N-(2-furoylmethyl) amino acids (FMAAs) were quantified together with
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N-(2-furoylmethyl)lysine (furosine) in acid hydrolyzates of hypoallergenic infant formulas, conventional infantformulas, and human milk samples using RP-HPLC with UV-detection. FMAAs are formed duringacid hydrolysis of peptide-bound N-terminal Amadori products (APs), and furosine is formed fromthe Amadori products of peptide-bound lysine. Unambiguous identification was achieved by meansof LC/MS and UV-spectroscopy using independently prepared reference material. The extent of acid-induced conversion of APs to FMAAs was studied by RP-HPLC with chemiluminescent nitrogendetection (CLND). Depending on the corresponding
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N-lactulosyl amino acid, between 6.0% and18.1% of FMAAs were formed during hydrolysis for 23 h at 110
C in 8 N HCl. From
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N-lactulosyllysine, 50% furosine is formed under these conditions. Whereas furosine was detectable inall assayed samples, five different FMAAs,
-FM-Lys,
-FM-Ala,
-FM-Val,
-FM-Ile, and
-FM-Leu, were exclusively detected in acid hydrolyzates of hypoallergenic infant formulas in amountsranging from 35 to 396
mol/100 g protein. Taking the conversion factors into account, modificationof N-terminal amino acids in peptides by reducing carbohydrates was between 0.3% and 8.4%. Thishas to be considered within the discussion concerning the nutritional quality of peptide-containingfoods.