The addition of ribose to minced chicken or minced pork followed by heating at 95oC yielded minced
meat with different pH, colour (CIE L*, b*) and absorbance values that can be used as indicators for species differentiation. The higher intensity of the Maillard reaction parameters in minced chicken was due to the higher protein and lysine contents, and the presence of more water-soluble proteins within the minced chicken during heating. Cluster analysis using Maillard reaction parameters showed that the two types of minced meat could be classified into two different groups. A confidence interval (95% confidence) analysis revealed that the absorbance, CIE L* values, and CIE b* values could be used as indicators for differentiation between the two types of minced meat, as the intervals between these Maillard reaction parameters for the two minced meats were far apart.