The model systems presented antioxidant and chelating activity under the analyzed temperatures and heating times, which are similar to the processing conditions of some foods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

BACKGROUND Protein glycation by Maillard reaction is commonly used to improve the functional and bioactive properties of food proteins. It is also known that this glycation method can be accelerated by heat without the need for chemical reagents that could be harmful to health. In this study, glycoconjugates were obtained from a mixture of connective tissue proteins (CTP) from jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) and two different sugars, dextran (DEX; 10 kDa) and glucose (GLU), using protein‐to‐carbohydrate ratios of 1:2 and 1:3, in solution at 50 °C for 6 h. The glycation products were characterized by means of their physicochemical properties and cytotoxic effect. RESULTS The intensity of the browning measured at A420nm and A294nm in glycoconjugates showed no significant difference (P < 0.05). CTP‐DEX (1:2) and CTP‐DEX (1:3) were those products with the greatest fluorescence related to the intermediate stage in the Maillard reaction, and also with the highest degree of glycation, which was confirmed using o‐phthaldialdehyde assay and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The values of cellular viability for CTP‐GLU (1:3), CTP‐DEX (1:2, 1:3) as well as CTP (0, 6 h) were around 92–103%. CONCLUSIONS The operational parameters used in the glycation process achieved the formation of glycoconjugates from proteins of D. gigas, showing no cytotoxic effect on the HaCaT cell line. This research proposes an alternative for the modification of proteins and opens the way to future investigations regarding the bioactivity of these macromolecules to have applications for the use of byproducts in food science and technology. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Nowadays there has been an increase in the need to incorporate foods in our diets that have optimal and palatable organoleptic characteristics as well as complex interaction in human biological processes that provide beneficial properties to human health. Animal foods and their by-products are an important source of macro-and micronutrients and also a great protein source; nevertheless the consumption of these products has been decreasing since they have been associated with the generation of chronic degenerative diseases; therefore the food industry has sought to innovate toward the generation of healthier foods. This chapter presents an overview of the glycation of proteins of animal origin via the Maillard reaction emphasizing on their posttranslational modifications and their possible uses in food, based on their bioactivity.