Purpose: it was planned to establish an arginine-reducing sugar system and investigate the factors affecting the formation of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds in the system, then explore the dynamics of reactants, products. With genistein as an inhibitor, 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds were inhibited in the reaction process. Methods: In arginine-reducing sugar system, using gas chromatography to evaluate temperature, the type of reducing sugar, pH and genistein effects on the 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds formation, the change regularity was analyzed. The analysis of genistein before and after decreased the arginine, glucose, and product 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds content, and the kinetics in this process was studied. Results: Time was the most important factors affecting the formation of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds, and the dynamics data showed that arginine and glucose concentration was decreased with the extension of reaction time. 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds content increased with the temperature rising and reaction time extending in the system. Conclusion: Time and temperature had a certain impact on the1,2-dicarbonyl compound and genistein, by lowering the reaction rate of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds. When genistein amount reached 50 mmol/L, the highest inhibition rate, more than 50%, was detected in the 1,2-dicarbonyl compound. The LC-MS analyses confirmed that the mechanism of the inhibition of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds in the amino acid system of the genistein was achieved by capturing MGO to form the genistein-MGO adduct, thereby achieving the elimination effect.