Inès Birlouez-Aragon

Spectralys Innovation · Research and Development

The aim of this work was to determine the heating effect on the thermo-degradation process of rapeseed oil (RO) by rapid fluorescence method. Reference measurements were carried out by chromatographic methods in order to compare results with those obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy. The main compounds which were monitored are polar compounds and...

Fluorescence spectroscopy is a reliable and fast method for determining the deterioration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). EVOO was analysed by HPLC for determining antioxidant changes in EVOO due to heating at 170°C for 3 h. This thermal oxidation caused a significant exponential decrease in hydroxytyrosol (OH-Tyr) and vitamin E (vitE), while the...

Foods are complex mixtures of macro- and micronutrients, which interact leading to oxidation, glycation and hydrolysis upon heating (sterilization, cooking) and storage. The nutritional quality and safety is consequently affected justifying the need for accurate monitoring of the evolution of the food composition during processing and in product sh...

The main chemical changes occurring during biscuit cooking result from two complex reactions involving reducing sugars: the Maillard reaction and caramelisation, both of them being responsible for non enzymatic browning. These reactions were assessed by determinations of furosine (Fu), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and colour at different times (eac...

The invention relates to a method for analysing at least one sample, involving the implementation of a method for the analysis of spectroscopic data based on a multichannel statistical model, comprising: a) illuminating said or each sample to be analysed by a first light source and by a second light source, said at least one second light source bei...

The cheese industry faces many challenges to optimize cheese yield and quality. A very precise standardization of the cheese milk is needed, which is achieved by a fine control of the process and milk composition. Thorough analysis of protein composition is important to determine the amount of proteins that will be retained in the curd or lost in t...

Quality traits are highly focused upon in the marketing of organic food products. There is a need to define and measure quality as consumers seem to have preconceived notions about the superior health value and taste of organic compared to non-organic products. A commonly held opinion among many consumer groups is that organic farming guarantees op...

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Natural fluorescence of food products emitted, when excited by UV-visible light, is a reliable and sensitive expression of the physicochemical composition and organization of the food matrix. In contrast to NIR or MIR, the image is less resolved and less informative of the composition in macroconstituents, but much more sensitive to small changes s...

The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of using front face fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid quantitative estimation of neoformed contaminants in industrially processed cookies. Two dimensional synchronous front face fluorescence spectra were acquired on cookies to assess the industrial process impact on the fluorescence signal and pr...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of using front face fluorescence (FFF) to monitor the impact of industrial process on carrot baby food, and to calibrate their content in neoformed compounds (NFC). Chromatographically measured NFC included furosine, carboxymethyllysine, and furan. The effect of using different raw material, fresh...

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C has traditionally been based on the prevention of the vitamin C deficiency disease, scurvy. While higher intakes of vitamin C may exert additional health benefits, the limited Phase III randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of vitamin C supplementation have not found consistent benefit with...

Objective: To assess the errors between estimates of amounts based on photographs and actual quantities of food presented to adults or eaten on the previous day. Design: A photographic atlas was constructed by taking digital photographs of three pre-weighed portion sizes of 212 traditional Lebanese dishes. In a first approach, ten portions of re...

The invention relates to a method for characterising one or more samples of an agri-food product, in particular intended for determining the naturality, freshness and authenticity of such a product and/or the conformity of same with a target product. The method of the invention is characterised in that it comprises: acquiring a plurality of natural...

Heat treatment of milk results in the development of a large range of Maillard products, especially in infant formulas due to their high content in Maillard reaction substrates. The Maillard reaction should be minimized because some of those products, called neo-formed contaminants (NFC), are currently suspected of promoting deleterious health effe...

A method for the spectroscopic analysis of a sample is provided. The method including the illumination of the sample to be analyzed by a plurality of luminous excitation rays with respective wavelengths; the acquisition and the pre-treatment of frontal fluorescence spectra, each spectrum corresponding to a respective luminous excitation ray; for ea...

Infant formulas are highly sensitive to the Maillard reaction during manufacturing, while this reaction induces significant loss in protein nutritional value and safety. The indicators mostly used to monitor the reaction during heat treatment are furosine, carboxymethyllysine and hydroxymethylfurfural, but analysis of these molecules is time-consum...

In food science the Maillard reaction is well known to cause degradation of amino acids and an overall decrease in the nutritional value of foods that have been subjected to heat in processing. There has been evidence more recently of the endogenous formation of some Maillard reaction products (MRPs) in biological systems and their association with...

Unlabelled: To produce specialty malt, malts were roasted by combined microwave-hot air at various specific microwave powers (SP = 2.5 to 3 W/g), microwave heating times (t(mw) = 3.3 to 3.5 min), oven temperatures (T(oven) = 180 to 220 degrees C), and oven heating times (t(oven) = 60 to 150 min). The response variables, color, energy consumption b...

The modern Western lifestyle is characterized by the consumption of high-heat-treated foods because of their characteristic taste and flavor. However, it has been shown that treating food at high temperatures can generate potentially harmful compounds that promote inflammation and cardiovascular disease in subjects with diabetes. The aim of this st...

The recent discovery of the presence of variable amounts of the carcinogenic compound acrylamide in a wide range of severely heat-treated food products, such as fried potatoes, biscuits, bread and coffee or malt, as a result of the heat process, has induced an important research in the area of the Maillard reaction in food. The interaction between...

The formation of the Amadori product from lactose (protein lactosylation) is a major parameter to evaluate the quality of processed milk. Here, MALDI-TOF-MS was used for the relative quantification of lactose-adducts in heated milk. Milk was heated at a temperature of 70, 80, and 100 degrees C between 0 and 300 min, diluted, and subjected directly...

The potential of a rapid spectral method, based on front-face fluorescence, to monitor lipid neoformed compounds (NFC) during processing of nuts and sesame seeds was investigated. Fluorescence fingerprints were obtained from front-face fluorescence acquisition directly on crushed nuts and sesame seed samples obtained at different stages of processi...

This work aimed at studying the influence of baking temperature and formulation on the formation of undesirable Maillard compounds called neoformed contaminants (NFC) in a model cookie system. Four NFCs were observed as furosine (FUR), carboxymethyllysine (CML), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and acrylamide (ACR) for three baking temperatures - 150, 2...

The impact of an ultrahigh temperature (UHT) treatment on amodel infant formula (IF) was examined by assessing the advancement of Maillard reactions during a thermal treatment by ohmic heating. The heating and holding steps of the heat treatment were carried out in a static batch ohmic heater equipped with a nitrogen counter-pressure system, allowi...

This work investigates the generation and the evolution of some neoformed compounds formed during the baking of a model biscuit. Thank to their physicochemical properties of volatility and hydrophobicity, furfurylic compounds were followed by a double approach: the analysis of the volatile fraction extracted from food matrix and from the vapours re...

The Maillard reaction is a complex mixture of temperature-dependent reactions between carbonyl compounds derived from sugars, lipids, and vitamins heat degradation products, and amino groups of amino acids, proteins or DNA. Among the numerous Maillard products (MP) formed, some are considered to raise safety problems because of their carcinogenicit...

The aim of the present study was to quantify some nutritional and safety quality parameter changes that take place in nuts (roasting) and sesame seeds (dehulling, roasting, milling, and sterilization) during processing. Such evaluation was based on chemical analysis of various indicators of lipid alteration in raw and processed pistachios, almonds,...

Les produits de Maillard (PM) issus du traitement thermique des aliments sont suspectes de participer au developpement des complications diabetiques, cardiovasculaires et renales chez les sujets a risque. La carboxymethyllysine (CML), un PM resultant de la degradation oxydative de la fructosyllysine, premier produit stable forme au cours de l'inter...

Design and validation of a colour food photography booklet for estimating food portion size in the traditional Mediterranean diet: contribution of traditional dishes to the Lebanese diet - Volume 67 Issue OCE4 - M. Tueni, A. Mounayar, I. Birlouez-Aragon

Health impact of dietary neoformed Maillard products in young healthy adults: occurrence in heat-treated foods and bioavailability - Volume 67 Issue OCE4 - G. Saavedra, L. Ait-Ameur, F. Tessier, P. Pouillart, J. M. Lecerf, I. Birlouez-Aragon

Health impact of dietary neoformed Maillard products in young healthy adults: biological impact of high v. low dietary level - Volume 67 Issue OCE4 - J. M. Lecerf, A. Cayzeele, C. Vaysse, A. Galinier, P. Pouillart, F. Tessier, I. Birlouez-Aragon

The study of the health impact of dietary Maillard products (MPs) in realistic clinical studies requires the design of nutritionally equivalent diets with high and low levels of MPs. This difficult challenge may be achieved by setting the high-MP diet at the regular daily level, where the common use of grilling, frying, and roasting processes allow...

Industrial processing of infant formulas (IFs) induces the formation of Maillard products, namely N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML). CML content is expected to be several times higher in IFs than in fresh human breast milk. To elucidate whether CML is absorbed from IFs into the bloodstream, CML concentration in the plasma and urine were analyze...

This work shows that front face fluorescence spectroscopy associated to partial least squares (PLS) calibration is a fast and simple method to assess the nutritional impact of heat treatment on milk samples. Emission spectra of tryptophan (Trp) and of advanced Maillard products (AMP) were recorded on intact milk samples non-heated and heated at sev...

During food-processing under high temperatures, sugars, oxidized lipids and vitamin C spontaneously form with proteins substances called Maillard reaction products (MRPs). Industrial processing of artificial infant formulas (IF) requires heat-sterilization. Thus, content of MRPs in IF is much higher than in the human mother milk. Excessive intake o...

The influence of the type of sugar and baking temperature on sugar degradation, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation and browning was studied in model cookies. The baking process was characterised by the temperature in the cookie and the water content and activity. A reference browning was selected to compare the differently processed cookies. The...

The impact of different storage conditions and minimal processing on quality changes of freshly harvested carrots were recorded by means of non-invasive spectrophotometric techniques. Methods were adapted and evaluated with conventional chromatographic methods to test their feasibility for non-invasive monitoring of compounds determining the produc...

The Maillard reaction (MR), despite its impact on flavor, color, and texture of cereal products, must be controlled for possible deleterious effects on protein nutritional quality. The present study aims to simultaneously monitor three indicators of the MR reaction (acid-released lysine, furosine, and carboxymethyllysine (CML)) by GC/MS in model co...

The following work evaluates the potential of using front face fluorescence spectroscopy for quantitative determination of neoformed contaminants (NFC) in cookies. Three dimensional synchronous frontal fluorescence spectra were acquired on cookies to assess the industrial process impact on the fluorescence signal and predict the NFC content in coo...

An accurate method for the quantification of carboxymethyllysine (CML) in food samples is evaluated. CML, a stable advanced Maillard compound, is considered as an useful marker of protein damage in severely heated foods. The proposed GC-MS method stipulates double derivatisation of amino acids and quantification by selected ion monitoring. Relative...

During baking, complex chemical reactions take place in the cookies, such as the Maillard reaction (MR) and caramelisation (CR). Both reactions involve glucose and fructose, generated from starch and sucrose hydrolysis during baking. Among the many products formed, HMF a possible mutagen, seems particularly interesting because of a rapid accumulati...

The potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for characterizing the deterioration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) during heating was investigated. Two commercial EVOO were analysed by HPLC to determine changes in EVOO vitamin E and polyphenols as a result of heating at 170°C for 3 h. This thermal oxidation of EVOO caused an exponential decrease in h...

Foods are complex mixtures of macro- and micronutrients, which interact, leading to oxidation, glycation, and hydrolysis upon heating (e.g., sterilization, cooking) and storage. Their nutritional quality and safety are consequently affected, justifying the need for accurate monitoring of the evolution of the food composition during processing and s...

Monitoring the nutritional quality of dietetic milk throughout its shelf life is particularly important due to the high susceptibility of some vitamins to oxidation, and the continuous development of the Maillard reaction during storage. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the vitamin C content and protein modification by denaturation and g...

The typical formulation of infant formulas (IF) may enhance damage of proteins during spray drying or sterilization. Lactose reacts with amino groups of proteins resulting in the formation of lactulosyllysine (LL). The latter is further degraded to give advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Furthermore, oxidation reactions, which are catalyzed by...

The proteasome is known to be the main enzymatic complex responsible for the intracellular degradation of altered proteins, and the age-related accumulation of modified lens proteins is associated to the formation of cataracts. The aim of this study was to determine whether the human lens proteasome becomes functionally impaired with age. The solub...

Upon aging, the lens accumulates brown fluorophores, mainly derived from the Maillard reaction between vitamin C oxidation products and crystallins lysine residues. At the same time, the concentration of UVA filters decreases, allowing some radiation to be absorbed by lenticular advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). This paper quantifies the photo...

In this review we describe how tissues are protected against free radicals and we detail the mechanisms by which the insufficient reduction of ascorbate is involved in glycation and oxidation processes on proteins.

A new fluorimetric FAST (Fluorescence of Advanced Maillard products and Soluble Tryptophan) method was developed to estimate the intensity of heat treatment applied to milk. The method is based on quantification of protein denaturation by means of Trp fluorescence (FTrp) and accumulation of fluorescent Maillard products (FAMP) in the pH 4.6-soluble...

Complex glycoxidation reactions take place during heat treatment of proteic foods leading to protein oxidative damage and nutritional loss. This study investigates the oxidative effect of Maillard products on Trp in α-lactalbumin incubated at 90 °C, and compares it with that of radical generating model systems. Trp oxidation rates were measured, on...

Infant formulas are supplemented with iron and ascorbate for nutritional purposes, but activation of the advanced Maillard reaction by iron and production of hydroxyl radicals by the iron-ascorbate system may damage the proteins with possible nutritional loss. In this study, we evaluate the deleterious actions of iron and ascorbate, namely lysine d...

The objective of this study was to determine whether in heat-treated milk-resembling models or milk there is a lag phase, before lactulosyllysine (LL) is converted into advanced Maillard products (AMP), and if there is a step during the heat treatment where LL is actively degraded into AMP. For that purpose, a low temperature (60-85 degrees C) and...

The FAST method is based on the determination of maximal fluorescence emission when exciting at 330-350 nm, which corresponds to molecular structures formed between reducing sugars or oxidizing lipids and lysine residues of proteins. This fluorescence is dependent on heat treatment and related to protein nutritional loss. Applied to a soluble extra...

The objective of this study was to determine the associations of age and sex with plasma vitamin C (vit C) concentration taking into account smoking habits and the presence of age-related pathologies, such as diabetes. The POLA study is a population-based study on age-related eye diseases and their risk factors, and plasma Vitamin C evaluation is p...

Riboflavin (RF) is a normal component of the eye lens which triggers a strong photosensitizing activity when exposed to light. Upon irradiation with short wavelength radiations below 400 nm, RF-photosensitized damage may occur. However, vitamin C is present at high concentrations in the normal lens and plays an important role in inhibiting these ph...

A significant preventive effect of dietary Vit C against degenerative pathologies can be inferred from numerous epidemiological data. The objective of the new French ANC is to take into account this preventive effect of nutrients, i.e. the numerous physiological actions of Vit C that contribute to maintain the organism in optimal health as long as...

Addition of lactose and vitamin C to growth milk reduces the nutritional quality of proteins. Addition of lactose to growth milk (+20-30 g·L-1) is responsible for an increase in the Maillard reaction which induces a loss in nutritional value of protein and the development of brown compounds. This reaction is further reinforced by the iron-vitamin C...

Addition of lactose and vitamin C to growth milk reduces the nutritional quality ofproteins. Addition oflactose to growth milk (+20-30 g-L-1) is responsible for an increase in the Maillard reaction which induces a loss in nutritional value of protein and the development of brown compounds. This reaction is further reinforced by the iron-vitamin C m...

To compare the vitamin C and E plasma levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to assess the vitamin C intake and nutritional status. Case-control study. Four groups of sex- and age-matched subjects were compared: severe AD and moderate AD, in patients with moderate AD and controls. Community and hospitalized patients in the region of T...

17Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17-HSD) type I is present and active in most breast cancer cell lines where it modulates local estrogen availability. Currently no information is available on its expression in primary cultures. We have quantitatively determined the cellular localisation of both enzyme activity and expression of the 17-HSD type...

Recent studies have suggested that formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in some brain proteins could be associated with Alzheimer's disease.These AGEs can be produced by various sugars (hexose, pentose, glyceraldehyde and oxidative products of vitamin C). In this study, we quantified plasma protein glycation specifically derived from...

A rapid and sensitive fluorimetric method is proposed to evaluate the heat treatment of commercial milk. This method is based on the simultaneous determination of protein denaturation by Trp fluorescence (λexc 290nm; λem 340nm) and formation of fluorescent advanced Maillard products (λexc 350nm; λem 440nm) in the milk fraction soluble at pH 4.6. Th...

An increasing number of foods are fortified with iron and vitamin C (vit C) before processing, but in the presence of vit C, the iron can catalyze the production of free radical species which can oxidize tryptophan (Trp). We confirmed the higher catalytic effect of copper compared to iron but demonstrated a stronger effect of temperature on iron-ca...

Protein glycation is believed to play an important role in the development of long-term disorders associated with diabetes. Previous studies have shown that copper could activate this process; however, these experiments were performed under non-physiological conditions. In this study, in vitro experiments were carried out at near-physiological cond...