Acylated anthocyanins: A review on their bioavailability and effects on postprandial carbohydrate metabolism and inflammation

Abstract

Anthocyanins, the natural red and purple colorants of berries, fruits, vegetables, and tubers, improve carbohydrate metabolism and decrease the risk factors of metabolic disorders, but their industrial use is limited by their chemical instability. Acylation of the glycosyl moieties of anthocyanins, however, changes the chemical properties of anthocyanins and provides enhanced stability. Thus, acylated anthocyanins are more usable as natural colorants and bioactive components of innovative functional foods. Acylated anthocyanins are common in pigmented vegetables and tubers, the consumption of which has the potential to increase the intake of health-promoting anthocyanins as part of the daily diet. For the first time, this review presents the current findings on bioavailability, absorption, metabolism, and health effects of acylated anthocyanins with comparison to more extensively investigated nonacylated anthocyanins. The structural differences between nonacylated and acylated anthocyanins lead to enhanced color stability, altered absorption, bioavailability, in vivo stability, and colonic degradation. The impact of phenolic metabolites and their potential health effects regardless of the low bioavailability of the parent anthocyanins as such is discussed. Here, purple-fleshed potatoes are presented as a globally available, eco-friendly model food rich in acylated anthocyanins, which further highlights the industrial possibilities and nutritional relevance of acylated anthocyanins. This work supports the academic community and industry in food research and development by reviewing the current literature and highlighting gaps of knowledge.

Metabolomic Characterization of Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Potato Cultivars Using a Joint and Individual Variation Explained (JIVE)

“…Indeed, the proportions and the concentrations of acylated anthocyanins are variable across the pigmented potato varieties. However, all the anthocyanins under investigation has been detected in our samples, thus supporting existing results [ 41 ]. Numerous factors may influence the occurrence and accumulation of pigments in the flesh of potatoes [ 42 ].…”

“…Additionally, the acylated forms may be commonly linked to the rutinose, the most common glycosyl moiety, in position C3 [ 7 ], but also to other sugar moieties such as glucose, rhamnose, xylose, and arabinose. Jokioja et al [ 41 ] described how the glycosyl moieties and the acylation influenced the chemical proprieties of the acylated anthocyanins, such as the stability of these compounds [ 41 ]. It has been reported that the different trend in the accumulation of anthocyanins in red-skinned and purple-fleshed varieties is a noteworthy factor in determining the tuber coloration patterns and the differentiation between the two pigmented groups [ 9 ].…”

“…The properties of anthocyanins have been already studied for their anticancer, anti-diabetes, and anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, the actual research is focused on the bioavailability of anthocyanins in humans after the consumption of food rich in such compounds [ 41 , 45 ]. At odds, the biological activity and healthy potential of anthocyanins is mainly evaluated in vitro experiments.…”

“…At odds, the biological activity and healthy potential of anthocyanins is mainly evaluated in vitro experiments. The bioavailability of anthocyanins is affected by several factors (e.g., pH, structural stability, acylation, absorption, and metabolism) [ 41 ]. Fleschhut et al [ 45 ] highlighted the poor bioavailability of anthocyanins in humans due to the extensive biotransformation, which occurred at the colon level.…”

Functionalization of Nanomaterials for Skin Cancer Theranostics

“…Chemical and biofunctionalization are currently two strategies for the modification of nanoparticles. In addition, these advanced nanotechnologies assist the stabilization of anti-cancer drugs, which improve the bioavailability and controlled release ( Chen and Stephen Inbaraj, 2019 ; Jokioja et al, 2021 ; Rashwan et al, 2021 ; Shen et al, 2022 ).…”