Effect of Phenolic Antioxidant on Maillard Reaction and its Action Mechanism

Maillard reaction is a very important and the most complex reaction which is occurred in the process of food processing and storage and plays an active role on the formation of flavor compounds in foods. However, the food safety problem of Maillard reaction increased gradually in the past two or three decades. Maillard reaction was affected by the amino and carbonyl groups of food component, but little research was reported about the interference effect of other substance on the Maillard reaction. This paper reviews the characteristics of antioxidants and free radical formation which happened in the process of Maillard reaction, and the effect of phenolic antioxidants on the formation of harmful substances, such as acrylamide, furan and HMF. On this basis, the paper also provides some scientific issues in the future study.