Maillard flavor is where hydrosol logic often breaks.
The Maillard reaction is a heat-built network between reducing sugars and amino compounds. In food, that network produces volatile aroma, browned solids, bitter compounds, color, fat interactions, texture, and high-molecular-weight material.
The failure is volatile-only thinking. A hydrosol may catch a roast edge, but browned structure can remain outside the distillate; keep coffee, cocoa, nuts, and seared-food comparisons source-bound.
The constraint is matrix complexity. Maillard discussion must stay at compound-family logic unless source support justifies more detail. It cannot become a universal claim that all roasted systems fail the same way in hydrosol.
Choose the carrier from the part of roast flavor you need. Use hydrosol only for a narrow volatile accent. Use infusion, fat, dairy, tincture, or emulsion when the target is body, bitterness, fat, color, or mouthfeel.
Validate roasted extraction by tasting structure, not just smelling aroma. If the distillate smells roasted but tastes hollow, the method captured a slice rather than the architecture.
