Identification of Anthocyanins and Optimization of Their Extraction from Rabbiteye Blueberry Fruits in Nanjing

Abstract

Blueberries are rich in bioactive anthocyanins, which are associated with health benefits contributing to reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to improve the yield of anthocyanins extracted from rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) fruits cultivated in Nanjing using ultrasound-assisted extraction and to identify the individual anthocyanins present in the extract. The extraction conditions of blueberry anthocyanins were optimized using response surface methodology. The Box–Behnken test was designed to investigate the effect of extraction using different ethanol concentrations, extraction time, and liquid-to-solid ratios. The optimum conditions of the extraction derived from the model were as follows: extraction time 24 h at 30°C using 72.50% ethanol which contains 0.02% v/v hydrochloric acid as a solvent and liquid-to-solid ratio 20 : 1 v/w. The extraction yield was 16.21 ± 0.44 mg/g under these optimum conditions. The 13 peaks of the anthocyanin extract from rabbiteye blueberry fruits in Nanjing were tentatively identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization interface-mass spectrometer (HPLC-ESI-MS), which are the derivatives of delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, and malvidin that were glycosylated by glucose, galactose, or arabinose. This research provides a reliable scientific basis for efficacious extraction and identification of anthocyanins from blueberry fruits, which would be helpful for further investigation of the function and application of blueberry anthocyanins extract to human health.

Antioxidant Blueberry Anthocyanins Induce Vasodilation via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway in High-Glucose-Induced Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

“…Różańska and Regulska-Ilow found that malvidin was the most content/quantity anthocyanidin found in blueberry, followed by delphinidin, petunidin, peonidin, and cyaniding [16]. In our previous study, malvidin was also confirmed as the largest anthocyanidin found in Brightwell rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) of Nanjing, mostly as malvidin-3-glucoside (Mv-3-glc) and malvidin-3-galactoside (Mv-3-gal) [17]. We tried to investigate the different bioactivities of blueberry anthocyanin extract as well as its major constituents Mv-3-glc and Mv-3-gal and found they could improve endothelial function by protecting against oxidative stress [18,19].…”

Identification of Anthocyanins and Their Fouling Mechanisms during Non-Thermal Nanofiltration of Blueberry Aqueous Extracts

“…Anthocyanins analysis was carried out according to HPLC methods [ 22 ] with some modifications. The samples were filtered through a 0.22 μm polyvinylidene fluoride membrane before HPLC (Waters 2695, Milford, MA, USA) with a reverse phase C18 column (ZORBAX C18 250 mm × 4.6 mm × 5 μm, Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) and wavelength of 520 nm.…”

“…Individual anthocyanins and their derivates in extracts and foulants. Identification based on MS and published data[22].…”

Comparison of physicochemical properties and economic gain from three‐stage and two‐stage sequential valorization of mango peels

“…The co‐extraction of anthocyanins, polyphenols, and pectin is limited by the differences in the optimum extraction temperatures required for the effective recovery of each of the products. Anthocyanins are generally extracted at temperatures below 50 °C to avoid degradation 9–11 . However, the optimum temperature range for anthocyanins is not sufficient for recovery of polyphenols and pectin.…”