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In Chinese dairy products, various saccharides including sugar substitutes are often added to modified milk or milk beverages to enhance flavor or increase benefits. That might result in the formation of furfural compounds due to the Maillard reaction between reducing sugars and proteins during heat treatment of milk. The contents of furfural compounds in dairy products vary depending on the type and proportion of sugars added, as well as the strength of heat treatment. Three monosaccharides, four disaccharides and two polysaccharides were selected to study the influences of saccharides on furfurals in modified milk. Kinetics parameters for the formation of furfural compounds were also studied under pilot processing conditions. The contents of furfurals in milk increased with the addition of monosaccharide, in the following order (from high to low) of type: fructose > galactose > glucose, and increased with the decrease in the polymerization degree of the added saccharides. The resulted prediction equations could be used to estimate the contents of furfurals in modified milk added with glucose, maltose or glucan after heat treatment at 115 °C–135 °C. This paper could provide a reference for the prediction and control of furfurals when applying saccharides in the dairy industry. • Furfural compounds in modified milk added with various saccharides were studied. • The influences of saccharide type, addition ratio and heat processing were studied. • Contents of furfurals in modified milk could be estimated by prediction equations. • It may be helpful for control of furfurals in modified milk added with saccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]