Soluble high molecular weight fraction (>10 kDa, named melanoidins) was isolated from Maillard reaction model systems, coffee, beer and sweet wine by ultrafiltration. Deoxyribose method was adjusted for measuring the hydroxyl radical scavenging properties of melanoidins. The presence of competitive melanoidins with deoxyribose for OH decrease the rate of deoxyribose degradation. Possible interferences to the deoxyribose method have been evaluated. Most of isolated melanoidins exhibited a variable and measurable non-site-specific hydroxyl scavenging activity in a Fenton-type reaction system. The iron reducing properties of melanoidins at the reaction conditions were evaluated with ferrozine. It has established a kinetic approach to assess the second rate constants of hydroxyl radical scavenging reactions of melanoidins. This approach may be a valuable tool for addressing the structure¿activity relationships of melanoidins in a future. There is no correlation between browning (absorbance at 420 nm) and efficiency for scavenging hydroxyl radicals in solution.

This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under project AGL2000–1452

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