Formation of a Hydroxymethylfurfural-Cysteine Adduct and Its Absorption and Cytotoxicity in Caco-2 Cells.

Adducts of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)-amino acids are formed during food processing and digestion; the elimination capacity of in vitro intestinal digests of biscuits, instant noodles, and potato crisps for HMF is 652, 727, and 540 µg/g, respectively. However, the safety of these adducts is unknown. In this study, an HMF-cysteine adduct named 1-dicysteinethioacetal-5-hydroxymehtylfurfural (DCH), which was found to be produced in the gastrointestinal tract after HMF intake, was prepared to test its effect toward Caco-2 cells. Compared with HMF, the adduct displayed lower cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells with an IC50 value of 31.26 mM versus 14.95 mM (HMF). The DCH did not induce cell apoptosis, whereas HMF significantly increased the apoptosis rate after incubation at concentrations of 16, 32, and 48 mM for 72 h. DCH showed an absorption rate considerably lower than that of HMF by Caco-2 cells. Lower absorption of DCH may result in lower toxicity compared with HMF against Caco-2 cells. Intracellular transformation of DCH has been observed.

Chlorogenic acid increased 5-hydroxymethylfurfural formation when heating fructose alone or with aspartic acid at two pH levels.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a phenolic acid that ubiquitously exists in fruits. This work aims to investigate whether and how CGA influences HMF formation during heating fructose alone, or with an amino acid. The results showed that that CGA increased 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation. At pH 5.5 and 7.0, the addition of 5.0 µmol/ml CGA increased HMF formation by 49.4% and 25.2%, respectively when heating fructose alone, and by 9.0% and 16.7%, respectively when heating fructose with aspartic acid. CGA significantly increased HMF formation by promoting 3-deoxosone formation, and its conversion to HMF by inhibiting HMF elimination, especially in the Maillard reaction system. A comparison of the catalytic capacity of CGA with its six analogous compounds showed that both its di-hydroxyphenyl and carboxyl groups function in increasing HMF formation.

Chlorogenic acid increased acrylamide formation through promotion of HMF formation and 3-aminopropionamide deamination.

This research was aimed to investigate why chlorogenic acid, presents at high concentrations in some food raw material, influences acrylamide formation. In the asparagine/glucose Maillard reaction system (pH=6.8), addition of chlorogenic acid significantly increased acrylamide formation and inhibited its elimination. In contrast, the quinone derivative of chlorogenic acid decreased acrylamide formation. Three mechanisms may be involved for increasing acrylamide formation by chlorogenic acid. Firstly, it increased the formation of HMF, which acts as a more efficient precursor than glucose to form acrylamide. Secondly, it decreased activation energy for conversion of 3-aminopropionamide (3-APA) to acrylamide (from 173.2 to 136.6kJ/mol), and enhances deamination from 3-APA. And thirdly, it prevented attack of the produced acrylamide from free radicals by keeping high redox potential during the Maillard reaction.