The functional properties of chitosan-glucose-asparagine Maillard reaction products and mitigation of acrylamide formation by chitosans

•Inhibition of acrylamide and MRPs formation by chitosans were studied at laboratory heated food system.•The system combined glucose, asparagine and low, medium, and high molecular weight chitosan.•Low molecular weight chitosan is suggested for inhibition of acrylamide and MRPs.

This research aims to clarify the interactions that occur in a food model system consisting of glucose, asparagine and chitosans. Low molecular weight chitosan exerted a potent inhibitory effect (46.8%) on acrylamide and Maillard reaction products (MRPs) (>52.6%), respectively. Compared to a previous study conducted using the fructose system, the novel findings of this research demonstrate that the formation of acrylamide and Maillard reaction products was lower with glucose than with fructose when they were used as reducing sugars in food model systems.