Maillard reaction is the focus of meat science for years.Maillard reaction is a complicated non-enzymatic browning reaction between reducing sugar and amino acid in food processing.Maillard reaction promotes the formation of flavor and brown color of some cooked foods.Furthermore,a novel,natural and non toxic antioxidant could be prepared by maillard reaction products in the future.But,some poisonous might be formed during maillard reaction,it also devalues some food nutrition and destructs some essential amino acids.In the paper,we reviewed the mechanism,affecting factors,control methods of maillard reaction and its application in food processing.