Simultaneous inhibition of various deleterious substances in cookies by application of an optimized combination of amino acids and its effect on organoleptic quality.

Thermally processed foods, such as cookies, are susceptible to heat treatments and easily generate hazardous substances including reactive carbonyl compounds, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, acrylamide, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). They all displayed various deleterious effects on human health. Amino acids have been found to inhibit the formation of these harmful substances by eliminating the reactive carbonyl compounds. However, the application of single amino acids in food products tends to affect the organoleptic quality of the products negatively. Moreover, the simultaneous inhibition effects of the amino acids on different hazardous substances in real food were less investigated. This study aimed to obtain an amino acid complex formula that could efficiently and simultaneously reduce the levels of the abovementioned harmful substances in cookies while retaining the desired organoleptic quality of the products. Four amino acids with efficient elimination capacity on harmful substances were selected for the investigation. Based on the evaluation of sensory, colour, and texture properties, and the inhibition rate of all the harmful substances, the amino acid formula was optimized as 0.15 g/ kg of cysteine, 0.35 g/ kg of γ-aminobutyric acid, 0.5 g/ kg of alanine, and 0.5 g/ kg of glycine. The cookies prepared with this formula showed an evident reduction in the levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone, acrylamide, carboxymethyl lysine, carboxyethyl lysine, and fluorescent AGEs by 92%, 28%, 47%, 38%, 50%, 71%, and 62%, respectively, as compared to the blank group. In addition, this formula improved the crispiness of cookies and the organoleptic qualities of the product. The study provides important strategies and guidelines for the control of harmful substances, and in the meantime, the improvement of the quality of thermally processed foods such as cookies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]