Factors
High temperature, intermediate moisture levels, and alkaline conditions all promote the Maillard reaction. In cooking, low moisture levels are necessary mainly because water boils into steam at 100 °C (212 °F), whereas the Maillard reaction happens noticeably around 154 °C (309 °F): significant browning of food does not occur until all surface water is vaporized.
The rate of Maillard reactions increases as the water activity increases from 0.0 or as it decreases from 1.0, reaching a maximum at water activities in the range of 0.6 to 0.7. Since the Maillard reaction produces water, further increases in water activity may inhibit Maillard reactions.
Pentose reducing sugars react more than hexoses, which react more than disaccharides. Different amino acids produce different amounts of browning.
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