Food browning agent

A food browning composition or agent, which is substantially colorless at ambient temperature, but browns when applied to uncooked meat, fish and poultry products or products derived therefrom and is then heated to a temperature of 70.degree. C. or higher in a microwave oven whereby the resultant cooked product appears as though it had been cooked by conventional oven cooking methods, said food browning composition or agent comprising a mixture of the following three required types of ingredients:

• (1) collagen or gelatin which has been substantially completely hydrolysed to its constituent amino acids containing no or substantially low levels of sulfur containing amino acids;
• (2) one or more reducing sugar(s) selected from the group consisting of ketose(s), aldose(s), pentose(s), hexose(s), or mixtures thereof;
• and,
• (3) one or more alkali(s) or mixtures thereof, wherein the aforesaid three types of ingredients are present in amounts such that the molar ratio of reducing sugar(s) to amino acids is between 1:1 and 4:1, and the alkali(s) is present in such amount as required so that the pH of the food browning composition or agent is between 7.0 and 10.0.