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The answer lies in the Maillard Reaction. Food chemists are most
familiar with this term. Louis-Camille Maillard, was the first person
to describe this color changing reaction in 1912. Certain amino acids
interact with sugars to create color changes, usually brown or golden
brown compounds. This type of interaction is the cause of much of the
browning that occurs during manufacture and storage of foods. It is also
how bread and beer turn golden brown.
When using a sunless tanning product, the reaction of skin with DHA to
produce an artificial tan proceeds through a combination with free amino
groups in skin proteins. Epidermal proteins have a very high content of
amino acids. Various amino acids react differently to DHA ,
producing different tones of coloration from yellow to brown. The
resulting pigments are called melanoidins. These are similar in
coloration to melanin, the natural substance in the deeper skin layers
which brown or "tan", from exposure to ultraviolet rays. Melanoidins
are polymeric compounds that are linked by certain amino acid side chains to the
proteins of the stratum corneum.
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