## 1 Introduction  
The Maillard reaction (MR) is one of the dominant reactions that occurs during the thermal processing of food. It contributes positively to the flavor, aroma, and color of foods. However, it also produces harmful by-products, including acrylamide in starch-rich processed foods, heterocyclic amines in protein-rich cooked foods, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in dairy products [1]. As regards baked products, in recent years, particular attention has been paid to acrylamide as a potential health concern due to its adverse effects on human health. In fact, acrylamide is neurotoxic, cytotoxic, hepatotoxic, immunotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic [2]. It is also classified under Group 2A as potentially carcinogenic humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [3]. Acrylamide is naturally formed in starch food products during high-temperature cooking (above 120 \({}^{\circ}\)C), such as frying, baking, and grilling, but also in industrial processing [4]. Acrylamide is, therefore, commonly found in bread, biscuits, crackers, and chips. European authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) offer some advice to reduce the production of this harmful compound at a domestic level: e.g., avoid excessive burning when frying, do not keep potatoes in the fridge to avoid an increase in sugar levels,Several strategies have been proposed to inhibit the MR in food processing (Figure 1). Non-thermal technologies, such as the use of a pulsed electric field, have emerged as innovative approaches for controlling the MR, alongside ohmic heating, high-pressure processing, and the encapsulation of metal ions [5]. Biochemical strategies such as the use of enzymes have been also applied to inhibit the MR. As an example, oxidoreductases such as glucose oxidase convert glucose to gluconic acid, which cannot react with amino acids [6]. Chemical approaches are based on (i) the removal or modification of MR reactants, such as sugars or amino acids; (ii) the trapping of intermediates of MR such as \(\alpha\)-dicarbonyl compounds; and (iii) the trapping of MR products, namely Strecker aldehydes, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), or acrylamide. Aminoguanidine is one of the first synthetic inhibitors of the MR whose mechanism of action involves the trapping of \(\alpha\)-dicarbonyls. Its use was abandoned due to its numerous adverse side effects [5]. The use of natural components such as phenolic compounds has also been explored. Oxidized polyphenols have been effective in inhibiting the MR since they react with amines to form benzoquinone mines or amine-quinone adducts via a Michael addition [5]. The effectiveness of phenolic compounds as MR inhibitors in foods has gained increasing consideration because they are considered natural; thus, they are more accepted as food ingredients compared with synthetic compounds. Moreover, compared with other innovative strategies, they are more user-friendly. Innovative strategies such as ohmic heating have, in fact, limited application due to their higher initial costs or the impossibility of applying them to foods containing fats and oils [7]. Some comprehensive reviews have been published on the above-mentioned strategies to inhibit the MR [5; 8; 9]. Bakery products are major staples consumed daily by people from all walks of life and of all ages. The identification of strategies to inhibit the MR and hamper acrylamide formation in bread and bread-like products is thus crucial for public health. Commonly bakery products are formulated with refined flours that lack phenolic compounds. The enrichment of bakery products with phenolic compounds might be welcome in view of their inhibitory effect on the MR and of their protective role against the onset of human diseases caused by oxidative stress [10]. So far, reviews on strategies to inhibit the formation of MR by-products have clarified the activity of phenolic compounds, but to the best of our knowledge, their effectiveness in the formulation of bakery products has not been reviewed.