Progress on the melanoidins produced by the Maillard reaction of fermented food and traditional Chinese medicine

FMs(Food-borne melanoidins)are brown high molecular weight polymers formed by the Mailiard reaction between carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds during the processing of food or Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM),and are widely found in food-borne products such as TCM concoctions,bakery,brewing,soy sauce,ferment and other food-borne products.FMs not only have a variety of biological activities,such as antioxidant,antibacterial,immunomodulation,regulation of intestinal flora,etc.,and can change the color,aroma and taste of food.The diversity of its components has become a research hotspot at home and abroad in recent years,with a wide range of application prospects.Therefore,this paper summarizes the existing information on FMs at home and abroad,mainly describes their preparation process,physicochemical properties,structural characteristics and functional activity research progress.Typical FMs,such as coffee,biscuits,wine and soy sauce in daily food,and Polygonatum,Perilla oil,Black ginseng,and Red jujube in T,were highlighted.Summarising the current status of research between the chemistry and pharmacodynamics of relevant FMs and presenting challenges and future recommendations for melanoidin research.In future research on FMs,one should pay more attention to basic research,especially isolation and purification and generation mechanisms,to further demonstrate the biological activity of FMs in vivo and in clinical trials.Thus,the potential value of its existence is deeply exploited to meet the needs of technology,production and health.