炒麦芽一直沿用炒黄炒香入药的传统，其消食化滞作用较生麦芽更强，因此形成了“炒香醒脾”的理论。目前，麦芽炒制多以淀粉酶和麦黄酮等为指标，但这些指标与麦芽“炒香醒脾”并无必然联系，甚至矛盾。本项目在中医药理论和实验的基础上，提出“还原糖和蛋白质等‘无效成分’在炒制过程中发生Maillard反应而形成的产物MRPs，与麦芽的有效成分产生协同作用，从而达到‘炒香醒脾’的效果”假说，采用NIR、RT-PCR等技术，应用生物药剂学、分子生物学等方法，考察炒制中有效、无效成分量和/或质的变化，建立基于NIR的炒制模型；模拟合成MRPs，探索Maillard机理；研究“炒香”对胃肠道转运、P-gp蛋白的影响；考察MRPs对血管活性肠肽、胃泌素等mRNA的调节作用；研究MRPs对消化酶、微生物、自由基的影响。本项目从Maillard反应的角度研究中药“炒香醒脾”机理，为中医药理论研究提供新的视角和方法。

Fried malt is following the theory "Fried yellow and fragrant" in traditional Chinese medicine, its effect of resolving food stagnation is stronger than Hordeum vulgare L., which gradually formed the theory of "Saute Xingpi". At present, in the frying process of Hordeum vulgare L., amylase, protease and tricin content which seen as" active ingredients" were used as evaluation indexes, but these indexes were not necessarily linked to the "Saute Xingpi" effect, even contradictory to it. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and the experiments, this project put forward the hypothesis that: "Maltose, glucose, amino acids, proteins and other 'inactive' in Hordeum vulgare L. take on the process of Maillard reaction and form the MRPs, that achieve 'Saute Xingpi' effect, by cooperating with active ingredients." The project apply the methods of biological pharmacy and molecular biology Comprehensively, to investigate the changes of "active ingredients" and "inactive ingredients" and to research the influence of MRPs on gastrointestinal transit and P-gp protein and further explore the effect of MRPs on gastrointestinal motility, microorganism and free radical. This project study the fried rules of traditional Chinese medicine by the angle of Maillard reaction, that provide a new perspective for the research of traditional Chinese medicine, provides a new method for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine theory.