MICROWAVE BROWNING AGENT DEVELOPED

LYNN KUNTZ

MANITOWOC, Wis. -- Microwave products often fail because the consumer expects them to closely resemble those made by conventional cooking methods. One of the attributes these products often lack is the golden brown color produced by oven roasting. Red Arrow Products here has developed a browning agent called Maillose that creates a characteristic roasted appearance under microwave and other low-heat conditions.

Normally, browning occurs when certain proteins and carbohydrates react to high heat, a reaction known as Maillard browning. This rarely occurs under microwave heating. Maillose reacts when temperatures reach 125 degrees F, yielding a graduated brown color development. The color intensity depends on the heating time, cooking temperature, type of protein in the food and Maillose concentration. Higher temperatures accelerate the browning process. A temperature of 150 degrees F is optimal.

Water activity can also affect the degree of browning. This affects the time required to dry the product and begin surface dehydration and cooking. A product pH over 4 promotes and accelerates browning. Lower concentrations can provide more browning under these conditions.

"The brown color imparted by Maillose is due to a Maillard reaction and is not a staining process or color," said Red Arrow's Francis King, food division consultant. "The brown color will only occur upon heat application such as baking, microwaving, frying, extrusion and impingement heating. Any unheated product will retain its fresh, uncooked color until it is subjected to heat."

Maillose comes in two forms: liquid and dry. The liquid can be used in dipping applications, either as a straight dip or as a 10% dilution with water. This liquid form works well in meat and poultry applications. Red Arrow has just introduced Maillose dry, which can be added to products such as uncooked pie dough, breads, cookies, and other products that normally develop color through conventional baking processes. King also suggests other applications including brown and serve products and breadings. Both products appear on the label as caramel color. Suggested use levels are in the 0.2% to 3.0% range, depending on application and ingredient form.

Use of this product can decrease cooking times while eliminating an undercooked appearance. This helps retain moisture and increase cooking yields. Fry times may decrease, resulting in less fat uptake. In addition to enhancing the color, the reaction helps promote a crunchy texture, according to the manufacturer. This is accomplished without the use of susceptors and is promoted by the cross-linking of proteins.

According to King, Maillose is currently being used as the browning agent for microwavable pot pies under test market in Canada.