What is Maillard reaction?
[[File:Brioche.jpg|right|thumb|The crusts of most [[bread]]s, such as this [[brioche]], are golden-brown due to the Maillard reaction.]] The '''Maillard reaction''' is a [[chemical reaction]] between an [[amino acid]] and a reducing [[sugar]] that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, pan-fried dumplings, pizzas, cookies, and other kinds of biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows, as well as many other foods, undergo this reaction. The reactive [[Carbonyl|carbonyl group]] of the sugar reacts with the [[Nucleophile|nucleophilic]] [[amine|amino group]] of the amino acid, and forms a complex mixture of poorly characterized molecules responsible for a range of aromas and flavors. At higher temperatures, [[caramelization]] and subsequently [[pyrolysis]] become more pronounced. In other words, sugar and baked things become brown and caramelized due to this reaction. For example, the Maillard reaction happens when searing a [[steak]]. [[Category:Organic reactions]] {{chem-stub}}