Novel insight into Amadori compounds: Fate of Amadori compounds in food supply chain

Abstract Amadori compounds, pivotal intermediates in the Maillard reaction, act as flavor enhancer, browning precursor, and functional component. Amadori compounds consisting of diverse amino and carbonyl groups might show distinct flavor attributes and functional activities. Food production involves many supply chain stages where thermal treatment might produce Amadori compounds, and processing techniques and circumstances might affect the generation and stability of Amadori compounds. Moreover, gastrointestinal digestion might also influence the stability of Amadori compounds. To date, there is a lack of comprehensive review on the impact of various supply chain stages and digestion on Amadori compounds. This paper reviewed all reported Amadori compounds derived from diverse reducing sugars (glucose, xylose, ribose, maltose) and amino‐containing compounds (common and specific amino acids, peptides), and compared differences in synthetic efficiency, flavor property, and functional activity among them; aggregated qualitative techniques; encapsulated quantitative techniques including indirect quantification and direct quantification, and intuitively compared strengths and weaknesses of these techniques; and outlined influence of processing, cooking, storage, and digestion on formation and stability of Amadori compounds. Appropriate processing techniques and conditions favored the generation and stability of Amadori compounds. Baking, frying, and roasting greatly facilitated Amadori compounds accumulation compared to steaming and boiling. Prolonged cooking at relatively low temperature favored Amadori compounds accumulation, whereas high‐temperature cooking for a short duration resulted in fewer accumulation. Amadori compounds showed greater digestion resistance and could be absorbed by the intestine. This review offers scientific instruction for producing high‐quality products with abundant Amadori compounds, or extracting plentiful Amadori compounds from processed foods as versatile food additives.