Anthocyanins and their stability in foods

Abstract

The anthocyanin pigments are responsible for the red, blue, and purple color of most fruits and vegetables. This review covers the following aspects of anthocyanins: their chemical structure and the relation between chemical structure and color; the theories of their biogenesis and factors affecting their synthesis in plants; their distribution among fruits and vegetables; the chemical, physical, and biochemical factors affecting their degradation in fresh and processed food commodities; degradation schemes; ways and means for stabilizing these pigments in foods and methods for extracting, identifying, and quantifying their concentration in foods.