The Maillard reaction yields a variety of heterocyclic compounds, yet current research predominantly focuses on their flavor contributions, while systematic analyses of their product species, structures, and toxicological properties are insufficient.In this study, heterocyclic products formed in serine/methionine-glucose Maillard reaction systems were investigated.Q-Exactive Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was used to screen and identify heterocyclic products in the reaction systems.Product distributions were visualized using the Van Krevelen diagram, and the potential toxicity of the heterocyclic products was evaluated using Discovery Studio software.The results showed that the serine/methionine-glucose system produced 198 and 159 heterocyclic products, respectively.The serine-glucose products mainly consisted of CHON and CHON1+x types, while methionine-glucose products mainly consisted of CHON, CHON1+x, CHONS and CHON1+xS types.Visualization analysis revealed that both systems were primarily characterized by CHON1+x type products, which were further classified into pyrrole, imidazole, and pyrazine derivatives based on their structural profiles.Among all heterocyclic compounds, 16 exhibited high mutagenicity, potential developmental toxicity, and skin sensitization potential.This study elucidated the relationship between amino acid structures and the quantity and composition of heterocyclic compounds, and performed preliminary toxicity assessments.These findings provide data and methodological support for further elucidating the formation mechanisms and safety evaluation of heterocyclic hazards in heat-processed foods.
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