Abstract
Inhibition of proteases was examined in browned foods including soy pastes, soy sauces, fish sauce, sauces, teas, coffees, and others in association with melanoidin, a Maillard product, which had been found to be a potent inhibitor of trypsin. Most of the foods were effective in restraining trypsin activity based on hydrolysis of N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide, while being ineffective on chymotrypsin except for black tea and cola. Especially, teas were noted for their strong inhibitory effect on trypsin. The color intensity of the foods in terms of optical density at 400 nm appeared not to correlate with the extent of inhibition except for soy sauces.
