The Maillard reaction, also called glycation, is one of the major chemical reactions responsible for most yellow-to-brown colors and aromas in cooked foods. This reaction between reducing sugars and amino functions on proteins affects not only the flavor of food, but also leads to the formation of an heterogenous group of structurally-modified amino acids. Some of these, known as “advanced glycation end products” (AGEs), have been found in both foods and human biological fluids, tissues and organs. Except for those that are formed over long periods in vivo at 37 °C, AGEs in the body originate from the digestion and absorption of dietary sources. A high or chronic exposure to dietary AGEs (dAGEs) is suspected as potentially detrimental to human health and studies in the field of food safety have begun to focus their attention on the metabolic transit of dAGEs. This review presents some important findings in this field, with a focus on N^Ɛ-carboxymethyllysine, and presents the evidence for and against an association between intake of dAGEs and their presence in the body. New and promising avenues of research are described, and some future directions outlined.

美拉德反应，也称为糖基化，是导致熟食中大多数黄色至棕色颜色和香气的主要化学反应之一。还原糖与蛋白质上的氨基功能之间的这种反应不仅会影响食物的风味，还会导致结构修饰的氨基酸异质基团的形成。其中一些被称为“高级糖基化终产物”（AGEs），已在食物和人体生物体液、组织和器官中发现。除了那些在 37°C 下在体内长期形成的 AGEs 外，人体内的 AGEs 来源于食物来源的消化和吸收。高或长期暴露于膳食 AGEs (dAGEs) 被怀疑可能对人类健康有害，食品安全领域的研究已开始将注意力集中在 dAGEs 的代谢转运上。本综述介绍了该领域的一些重要发现，重点是NƐ -羧甲基^赖氨酸，并提供了支持和反对 dAGE 摄入与其在体内存在之间关联的证据。描述了新的和有前途的研究途径，并概述了一些未来的方向。