Maillard reactions in pharmaceutical formulations and human health.

This article reviews pharmaceutical and health implications of the nonenzymatic Maillard reaction, also referred to as browning or N-glycation. The spontaneous Maillard reaction between reducing sugars and amines was first reported by French scientist Louis Maillard in 1912; the Maillard reaction may also occur with other drugs. Hemoglobin A1c and chemically complex colored products that follow initial dextrose and amino acids adducts in parenteral nutrition solutions are the advanced maillard products most familiar to pharmacists.