Chemiluminescent Products of the Maillard Reaction: Studies on Model Systems

Chemiluminescent intermediates were prepared from a model Maillard reaction between phenylglyoxal and benzylamine under an oxygen atmosphere as a solid material that gives light emission in the visible region. Such chemiluminescence is similar to that first detected by us from representative Maillard reactions, such as those from glucose and lysine or methylglyoxal and methylamine, both in the presence or absence of oxygen. This suggests that the material in the present studies contains peroxide compound(s). The model Maillard reaction did not give near-infrared luminescence at 1270 nm, which is characteristic of singlet oxygen formation. Structural studies were attempted on the solid material by means of chemical, chromatographic, and spectral methods.