The multiple Maillard reactions of ribose and deoxyribose sugars and sugar phosphates.

Ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) undergoes the Maillard reaction with amines at significantly higher rates than most other sugars and sugar phosphates. The presence of an intramolecular phosphate group, which catalyzes the early stages of the Maillard reaction, provides the opportunity for the R5P molecule to undergo novel reaction paths creating unique Maillard products. The initial set of reactions leading to an Amadori product (phosphorylated) and to an alpha-dicarbonyl phosphate compound follows a typical Maillard reaction sequence, but an observed phosphate hydrolysis accompanying the reaction adds to the complexity of the products formed.

Maillard reactions of ribose 5-phosphate and amino acids.

An important metabolite in nucleotide synthesis, ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) undergoes Maillard reactions at a rate significantly faster than most common sugars and sugar phosphates of its type. At pH = 8 and 37 degrees C, R5P reacts with amino acids to generate UV-absorbing compounds within hours and brownish compounds within a day. The increased rate can be attributed to the strategic location of the 5-phosphate group near the reactive C1 center.