During food processing, reactive carbonyl compounds (RCCs) are produced due to the oxidation of fatty acids. Since RCCs are closely related to inflammation, aging, tumor, Alzheimer's disease, etc., they have attracted extensive attention in the field of food science and drug science. The biological reaction of RCCs is mainly due to their ability to covalently modify proteins to form adducts with proteins and disrupt their normal physiological functions. This paper reviews the research progress on the types and their related chemical reactions of active carbonyl compounds, as well as detection methods, dietary exposure and control methods of active carbonyl compounds represented by 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-hydroxyhexenal (HHE), in order to provide reference for the quality control of food and the reduction of active carbonyl compounds.