Furan is a volatile and carcinogenic heterocyclic chemical compound that occurs in a wide range of thermally processed food. It can be induced during food-preparing processes by high temperatures and UV-C light. In the present study, the degradation of furan content in ground coffee, Maillard model system, and not-from-concentrate (NFC) apple juice by red-fleshed apple anthocyanin extract (RAAE) was studied. The results demonstrated that RAAEs had different degrees of degradation of furan content in coffee powder, and the RAAE from 'XJ3' had the most significant effect, with a reduction rate of up to 20%. Moreover, by adding RAAE to the Maillard model system, we found the amounts of furan were significantly reduced. At the same time, RAAE from 'XJ3' could observably reduce the content of furan in pasteurized NFC juice, with 'Fuli' NFC juice furan content decreasing the most, which was 68%. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the use of RAAE could be a feasible way to reduce furan content in ground coffee, Maillard model system, and NFC apple juice.
Keywords: Maillard reaction; NFC apple juice; anthocyanin; furan; red-fleshed apple.