A comparative analysis of the antigenicity and the major components formed from the glucose/ovalbumin model system under microwave irradiation and conventional heating

Various ratios of glucose/ovalbumin (20%–50%) were simulated to comparatively analyze the influence of microwave heating and conventional heating on the components and the antigenicity of the Maillard reaction (MR) products. The contents of carbonyl, melanoidins, carboxymethyl lysine, and hydroxymethylfurfural, were investigated. The results indicated that the product contents from the ovalbumin–glucose system increased as the concentration of glucose increased in the feedstocks. Moreover, the yields of these products were higher after microwave heating than after conventional heating. The MR decreased the antigenicity, which was negatively correlated to the glucose concentration in the feedstocks. By having distinct heating mechanisms, microwave heating decreases the antigenicity to a greater extent than conventional heating. The results showed that the microwave irradiation technology is a promising method to decrease the antigenicity of the MR products. Practical applications Microwave irradiation is frequently used in the field of food processing; it can accelerate the interaction between food components and change the quality and nutrition of food. Microwave heating uses energy conversion, which provides volume heating by changing electromagnetic energy into thermal energy. The effects of microwave heating on the antigenicity and the major components formed from the glucose/ovalbumin model system are investigated. Microwave heating indicated a good application prospect on accelerating the Maillard reaction and decreasing the antigenicity of the protein.