*2.11. Acidic Polysaccharides*

Degradation of acidic polysaccharides was measured using a colorimetric method [32]. Samples (5 mL) were mixed with 3 mL of distilled water and 0.25 mL of 0.1% carbazole and placed in a water bath at 85 ◦C for 5 min. After cooling for 20 min at room temperature, the absorbance was measured at 525 nm. Galacturonic acid was used as a standard, and distilled water was used as a blank.

#### *2.12. Maillard Reaction Products*

To measure the level of the Maillard reaction products (MRPs), the extracts were diluted 50-fold, and the absorbance was measured at 420 nm using a spectrophotometer.

## *2.13. Statistical Analysis*

All experiments were repeated in triplicate. Experimental data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and expressed as mean ± standard deviation. A Duncan's multiple range test was conducted to assess significant differences among experimental mean values (*p* < 0.05, 0.01, or 0.001). All statistical computations and analyses were conducted with SAS software (version 8.2, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA).

#### **3. Results and Discussion**
