What You Need to Know
The heat denatures lectins and reduces trypsin inhibitors while driving Maillard chemistry between free amino acids, especially lysine, and reducing sugars. This reaction produces pyrazines and furans that give the characteristic nutty aroma, and also generates acrylamide precursors if temperatures exceed 200 °C. Simultaneously, phytic acid is hydrolyzed, improving mineral bioavailability.
The Science
Primary Reaction
Maillard reaction between free amino acids and reducing sugars, plus thermal denaturation of lectins and trypsin inhibitors