Research Progress on Bioactivities of Food Flavor α-Ionone

α-Ionone is a naturally occurring flavor compound present in various flowers, fruits, and vegetables. It has violet floral fragrance and high commercial value, and now is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Current studies have shown that in addition to its properties of aroma, α-ionone also exerts a wide range of bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, apoptosis inducing and cell cycle blocking, anti-pest, skin damage repair, muscle atrophy alleviating, and allelopathic effects. Here, this review summarizes and discusses the latest research on the basic information and the bioactivities of α-ionone in order to provide scientific basis for the development and application of α-ionone in food, medicine, and biological fields.