Food composition undergoes significant changes due to chemical reactions occurring during heating. This study aimed to restrict the reactions of ascorbic acid, vanillin and sodium chloride by means of microencapsulation. Carnauba wax, maltodextrin, Arabic gum and beta-cyclodextrin were used as coating materials in different core/coating ratios. Model systems composed of ascorbic acid-ferric chloride, sodium chloride-glucose, and vanillin-asparagine prepared using free and encapsulated compounds were heated under certain conditions to determine the effects of encapsulation on the formations of furan, hydroxymethylfurfural and acrylamide, respectively. According to the results, Arabic gum and maltodextrin coatings of ascorbic acid significantly decreased furan formation up to 57% at 120 degrees C (p < 0.05) while carnauba wax coating of sodium chloride decreased hydroxymethylfurfural formation up to 18% at 200 degrees C. Despite vanillin could be coated successfully with beta-cyclodextrin, encapsulation increased acrylamide formation from asparagine during heating at 150 degrees C. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.