| Proximate analysis of the commercial shrimp meat waste samples indicated the presence of 94.6% protein and 4.2% fat on a dry basis. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of 17 amino acids (proline most abundant) and 7 sugars (ribose being the most abundant). The changes in the concentration of the amino acids and sugars after heat treatment, are explained based on their interaction through the Maillard reaction and by the thermal hydrolysis of proteins and polysaccharides present in tissue. Carotenoid pigments ({dollar}beta{dollar}-carotene, canthaxanthin, astacene, and astaxanthin monopalmitate) were extracted and separated by thick layer chromatography. Their structures were identified tentatively by thick layer chromatography (TLC) and subsequently confirmed by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Lipids were separated and categorized into glycerides, sterols, and phospholipids by thin layer chromatography while flavor-active components were extracted by different organic solvents into acidic, basic, and neutral fractions and their sensory properties determined. The flavor profile of the raw and cooked shrimp meat waste revealed the presence of 59 compounds in raw shrimp compared to 44 in cooked. The components identified were of different functional groups, including fatty acid esters, long chain alcohols, aldehydes, ketanes and hydrocarbons. Many fractions provided desirable aroma (nutty, fruity, floral, green woody, meaty) indicating the presence of important flavor compounds in the commercial shrimp waste.; Model studies were carried out under different experimental conditions (water content, pH), to observe the influence of these parameters on the formation of Maillard reaction products. Furthermore, a comparative study between direct injection of the aqueous solutions and its organic extracts was conducted. The direct injection of aqueous solutions revealed the presence of many water soluble components that were not detected by organic solvent extraction such as droserone and 3,9-diazatricyclo{dollar}lbrack7.3.0.0sp{lcub}*{rcub}.3sp{lcub}*{rcub}.7sp{lcub} *{rcub}rbrack{dollar}-dodecan-2,8-dione while maltoxazine and acetanilide are example of compounds identified only in the dichloromethane extracts. Results also demonstrated that monosaccharides affected the yield of the compounds produced whereas the amino acids influenced the sensory properties of these models. Fructose and ribose were found to be the most reactive sugars in their respective categories. Thiazoles were found to be more water soluble whereas {dollar}beta{dollar}-carbolines were more abundant in the organic extracts. The influence of water content was investigated in model systems containing fructose or glucose. It was found that water free systems decreased the yield of pyrazines and thiazoles while the formation of pyrrole and pyridine derivatives increased under dry heating conditions. The formation of Maillard reaction products were studied under different pH conditions in order to assess the effect of pH on the formation of heterocyclic compounds. Pyrazine and furan derivatives were the most affected by pH and alanine was found to be a better nitrogen source than lysine in the formation of pyrazines under different pH conditions. Finally, based on energy minimization studies using MM2 force field, a plausible mechanism was proposed for the formation of maltol in Maillard model systems. |
