Prediction of color changes using the time-temperature superposition principle in liquid formulations

This study reports the results of applying the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) to the prediction of color changes in liquid formulations. A sample solution consisting of L-tryptophan and glucose was used as the model liquid formulation for the Maillard reaction. After accelerated aging treatment at elevated temperatures, the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) LAB color parameters (a*, b*, L*, and E*ab) of the sample solution were measured using a spectrophotometer. The TTSP was then applied to a kinetic analysis of the color changes. The calculated values of the apparent activation energy of a*, b*, L*, and ΔE*ab were 105.2, 109.8, 91.6, and 103.7 kJ/mol, respectively. The predicted values of the color parameters at 40°C were calculated using Arrhenius plots for each of the color parameters. A comparison of the relationships between the experimental and predicted values of each color parameter revealed the coefficients of determination for a*, b*, L*, and ΔE*ab to be 0.961, 0.979, 0.960, and 0.979, respectively. All the R(2) values were sufficiently high, and these results suggested that the prediction was highly reliable. Kinetic analysis using the TTSP was successfully applied to calculating the apparent activation energy and to predicting the color changes at any temperature or duration.