Effects of sugars on the flavor and antioxidant properties of the Maillard reaction products of camellia seed meals

In the present study, camellia seed meal Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were prepared using camellia seed meal protein as a raw material. The effects of MR on protein structure and volatile components of camellia seed meal were investigated by fluorescence, UV absorption, infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Not only the change of amino acid content in MRPs, but also the antioxidant capacity of MRPs and the antioxidant capacity after in vitro digestion were determined. Our result showed that the ratio of essential amino acids in R-MRPs was increased and the antioxidant activity was the highest. For the potential of MRPs as flavoring, our sensory evaluation results showed improved flavor and antioxidant activity of camellia seed meal after MR which can be used as flavoring agents at industrial level.