The Maillard reaction between zein and glucose （Glu） in 70% ethanol solution as well as the application of the resultant product in the preparation of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles through the anti-solvent method were studied. The results indicated that Maillard reaction could occur between zein and Glu in 70% ethanol solution and the optimum conditions for the reaction were mass mixing ratio 3∶ 1， solution pH 13， reaction temperature 90 ℃ and reaction time 90 min. Under these conditions， the Maillard reaction mainly proceeded to the intermediate stage， the solution pH dropped greatly from 13 to 7.85， and the soluble protein content increased by 24.3%. The resultant Maillard reaction product was then subjected to curcumin-loaded nanoparticle preparation. By comparing with the nanoparticles prepared by native zein， the microencapsulation efficiency increased by up to 22 folds and the nanoparticles exhibited better sustainable release in ethanol； meanwhile， the thermal stability and storage stability of the nanoparticles were greatly improved. It is concluded that zein could react with glucose in 70% ethanol solution though it is not soluble in water and the reaction could greatly improve the functional properties of zein itself and the performance of the nanoparticles prepared by the anti-solvent method.