Im wondering what role time plays in the caramelization process if any? Do the chemical processes that are occurring require a certain period of time at the given temperature?
yes, time is an essential factor when the reaction at temperatures below 90 ° is very slow, To increase its speed, it is necessary that the surface of the food exceeds the boiling point of the water (100 ° C. ), from 115 ° C, the reaction increases and, from 130 ° C, it takes place very quickly. But, from 180 ° C, the Maillard reaction stops Another chain of chemical reactions then begins: pyrolysis, that is to say the decomposition of the food by heat. It is pyrolysis which is responsible for the taste of 'burnt', that is to say of this bitterness of overgrown foods and black and calcined substances which can be carcinogenic.
As you know, most simple organic compounds (including sugars) have melting points below 200 0C. For example, the melting points of fructose, glucose, and sucrose are 103 0C, 146 0C, and 186 0C, respectively.
Exposure of the organic compounds to high temperatures for a long time will not cause only color change to brown "which is a possible indication of caramelization" but to thermal degradation resulting in the formation of hazardous materials such as aromatics & furans with an eventual turn of color into black "usually taken as a sign of carbonization".
Caramelization is a process of heating sugars to produce brown color and typical caramel flavor which is most widely used in food industry as a natural food color, flavor and antioxidant agent. These properties of caramelization products (CPs) are heavily dependent on type of sugar, time of heating and pH range. Caramelization is the thermal degradation of sugars leading to the formation of volatiles and brown colored products. Caramelization is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting sweet nutty flavor and brown colour. ... When caramelization involves the disaccharide sucrose, it is broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. The nonenzymatic browning reactions of fructose and fructose‐lysine aqueous model systems were investigated at 100 °C between pH 4.0 and pH 12.0 by measuring the loss of reactants and monitoring the pattern of UV‐absorbance and brown color development.
You may want to check:
V. Lassalle Saint-Jean, "Le Caramel", Rev. Port. Quim., 10(2) 1968, 99-110; https://www.spq.pt/magazines/RPQuimica/258/article/533/pdf
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