Anthocyanin: a review of plant sources, extraction, stability, content determination and modifications

Abstract

Anthocyanins are flavonoids of the polyphenol family, which are secondary metabolites of natural products synthesised by blueberries, mulberry and other plants. As a natural edible pigment, it is not only plentiful, non-toxic and safe, but also has high nutritional value and pharmacological effects. Several studies have shown that anthocyanins have many health benefits such as improving vision, promoting antioxidant activity, capturing free radicals and treating cancer in humans. They are becoming increasingly popular in the fields of food and medicine. However, in terms of their structures, natural anthocyanins are unstable, easily deteriorating under the influence of their own structures and external factors, which greatly limits their application. Therefore, it is particularly important to use appropriate extraction methods and techniques to enhance the stability of anthocyanins. This article summarises the current research on anthocyanins in terms of plant sources, extraction, stability, content determination and structural modifications, and provides a reference for improving their application in the fields of food and medicine.

A Review of the Chemistry and Biological Activities of Natural Colorants, Dyes, and Pigments: Challenges, and Opportunities for Food, Cosmetics, and Pharmaceutical Application

“…In addition, sulfites and sulfates are widely added in the storage of fruit‐derived foods, but they can cause the loss of anthocyanin discoloration which is due to forming colorless sulfur derivative structures by substitution of sulfide groups at positions 2 or 4. The presence of enzymes such as glycosidases, peroxidases (phenol oxidases), and phenolases (polyphenol oxidases), collectively known as anthocyanins, in foods, is another limitation to anthocyanin stability [79,80] …”

“…The presence of enzymes such as glycosidases, peroxidases (phenol oxidases), and phenolases (polyphenol oxidases), collectively known as anthocyanins, in foods, is another limitation to anthocyanin stability. [79,80] Complexation of anthocyanins with metals has been commonly applied successfully to stabilize the color of anthocyanins could. The applied metals shall not risk health.…”

Purple Wheat: Food Development, Anthocyanin Stability, and Potential Health Benefits

“…Nevertheless, anthocyanins are vulnerable molecules and require special stabilization treatments during food preparation and processing. Several review articles have discussed a number of approaches for enhancing the stability of anthocyanin, primarily in fruits and vegetables, including co-pigmentation, self-association, encapsulation and metal binding [ 21 ], extraction with advanced extractors [ 22 ], interactions with food proteins and polysaccharides [ 23 ], or adjustments of processing conditions [ 24 ]. In addition, several reports have unveiled the composition and potential health impacts of anthocyanins from cereal grains [ 13 , 25 ] and colored wheats [ 11 , 13 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Extraction of functional natural products employing microwave-assisted aqueous two-phase system: Application to anthocyanins extraction from mulberry fruits

“…Mulberry is one of the reservoirs for natural pigments and rich source of anthocyanins, which provides a black-purple or purplish-red color to the fruit (Zhou et al, 2021). In recent years, mulberry-derived anthocyanins have been extensively utilized in various industries, including food, printing and pharmaceutical owing to their high nutritional value and pharmacological effects (Guo et al, 2022). However, the low extraction yields, instability during food processing and storage, and higher production costs are the main challenges associated with adopting mulberry-extracted anthocyanins in the food industry (Zhang et al, 2022).…”