Etymology

Maillard reaction

Today it means: The condensation reaction of an amino acid and a reducing sugar, followed by polymerization to form brown pigments - melanoidins; one of the causes of browning during cooking. Full definition →

First used 1910s
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

Named after French physician and chemist Louis Camille Maillard, 1912.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1910s The condensation reaction of an amino acid and a reducing sugar, followed by polymerization to form brown pigments - melanoidins; one of the causes of browning during cooking.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.