Consumption of model maillard reaction products has no significant impact on Ca and Mg retention or on tissue distribution in rats.

Our aim was to analyze the influence of the prolonged consumption of Maillard reaction prod-ucts (MRPs) from the glucose-lysine model system, on calcium and magnesium bioavailability and on tissue distribution in female rats. A long-term study (88 days) was conducted, in which two groups of rats (n = 12) were fed either a Control diet or one including 3 % glucose-lysine MRPs (GL90 diet). During the experimental period, the global balance was determined; calcium apparent absorption, retention, and bioavailability were stable after consumption of the assayed MRPs (37 % and 38 % for the Control and GL90 groups, respectively). Consequently, there was no change in calcium tissue distribution. During the final week, an additional balance was performed, following urine and feces collection, which showed calcium bioavailability to be stable. During the same period, magnesium apparent absorption and retention increased, leading to higher digestibility and bioavailability. However, these variations could be isolated events of little significance, since overall there were no variations in magnesium body content or retention (73 mg and 75 mg for the Control and GL90 groups, respectively). This conclusion was supported by the stability of the magnesium content and its concentration in the organs. These findings are in line with those of previous studies, which have reported the low affinity of these metals to form MRP complexes.