Anthocyanins, also known as anthocyanins, are a water-soluble natural pigment commonly found in nature. At present, there are about 20 types of anthocyanins known to humans, and there are 6 types in food, such as geranium pigments, cornflower pigments, peony pigments, and morning glory pigments.

The application scope of anthocyanins is mainly in the food field, as they can color food, and their presence is also indispensable in fuels, medicine, and cosmetics.

Anthocyanins have antioxidant, visual protection, anti-cancer, and radiation effects, and are a chemical treasure in the scientific community. Therefore, continuous research is needed on the extraction methods of anthocyanins and their applications in the food industry.

The application of anthocyanins in food

Anthocyanins are widely used in various fields due to their excellent coloring properties, especially in the coloring technology of food. However, with the continuous improvement of science and technology, it is found that anthocyanins can not only help food coloring, but also have significant effects on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, nervous system diseases, cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

However, anthocyanins have high requirements for external environmental conditions during processing and storage. Temperature, pH value, light, moisture, and even oxygen can all affect the stability of anthocyanins. Adding metal ions, whey protein, or adjusting pH value to anthocyanin solution can help improve the stability of anthocyanins. In addition, microencapsulation of anthocyanins or the addition of colorants can also help improve the stability of anthocyanins.

Moreover, the microencapsulation of anthocyanins has a strong ability to scavenge free radicals in the body, thus enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, which can enhance the overall antioxidant capacity of cells to a certain extent, greatly improving cell survival rate.

Based on the biological characteristics of anthocyanins, technological innovation can greatly solve the application problems in food production. In the microcapsules of anthocyanins, the inner wall of the microcapsules can play a certain protective role, effectively improving the chemical stability of anthocyanins in different external environments.

20231201135233

The main extraction techniques of anthocyanins

2.1 Ultrasonic Extraction Technology

Ultrasonic extraction method uses ultrasound to accelerate the dissolution of active ingredients, thereby improving the extraction efficiency of anthocyanins. When the temperature is maintained at 60 ℃, the ethanol concentration is 90%, and the overall processing time is about 1 hour, the extraction rate of anthocyanins in purple potatoes reaches the highest value.

Moreover, after conducting many extraction experiments, scientists have found that ultrasonic technology has a higher extraction efficiency and lower destructive power on anthocyanins.

2.2 Microwave Extraction Technology

Microwave has strong penetration ability and can also promote intermolecular movement, playing a certain heating role. Therefore, microwave assisted extraction technology can be used to improve the extraction rate of anthocyanins in purple corn cobs and purple grapes. The extraction efficiency of anthocyanins using microwave extraction technology is significantly higher than traditional solvent extraction methods.

2.3 Organic solvent extraction technology

Hydrochloric acid and methanol are commonly used solvents in general extraction, and the use of acidified methanol to extract anthocyanins from radish is also very effective. Therefore, organic solvent extraction technology has been applied to the extraction of most anthocyanin rich substances such as grape seeds, blueberries, and pomegranate peel.

2.4 Supercritical Fluid Extraction Technology

Supercritical fluid extraction is an extraction method that utilizes the influence of temperature and pressure on the solubility of supercritical fluids.

In the supercritical state, after the chemical substances that need to be separated come into contact with the supercritical fluid, they are sequentially extracted based on their polarity, molecular weight, and boiling point. This extraction technology has the advantages of high extraction rate, no solvent residue, and low extraction energy consumption.

However, due to the polarity characteristics of anthocyanins themselves, attention should be paid to the combination of pressure and organic solvents during extraction. The purity of anthocyanins extracted by supercritical fluid extraction can reach up to 97.82%.

Overall, among the extraction techniques mentioned above, solvent extraction is a simple operation, but in practical work, there are problems such as long extraction time, high solvent consumption, and certain pollution to the external environment. Although ultrasound and microwave technology require high experimental equipment, their efficiency is relatively high.

Practical applications in the food industry

In the food industry, manufacturers often add pigments to optimize the color and sensory characteristics of food. Within the scope of food safety regulations, natural anthocyanin edible pigments allowed for large-scale production and use include: purple sweet potato pigment, mulberry pigment, purple corn pigment, cabbage pigment, eggplant skin pigment, grape skin pigment, and berry type pigment, etc.

In the actual production process, anthocyanins are natural pigments with high safety and are widely used in wine, food and beverage, jam, candy, and various foods, giving food a variety of beautiful coats. In addition to giving food a brilliant color, anthocyanins can also provide higher nutritional value. For example, yogurt with added anthocyanins not only has a unique flavor, but also has certain health functions. Mulberry anthocyanins, blueberry anthocyanins, etc. are all applied to yogurt products, making fermented yogurt fragrant and fruity.

Anthocyanins can not only be applied to ordinary food ingredients, but also to the specific health benefits of anthocyanins on the human body. Related health products developed using anthocyanins are gradually increasing. For example, in regions such as the United States and Europe, mixed health drinks made from blueberries and other fruits are popular among middle-aged and elderly consumers. The direct economic benefits of anthocyanin health drinks consumed in European and American countries each year are billions of dollars. Moreover, with the continuous in-depth research on the health functions of anthocyanins, the sales of anthocyanin health drinks will rapidly increase globally. The economic benefits brought by anthocyanins can be said to be very objective. In recent years, with the increasing awareness of health care among Chinese citizens and the implementation of green teaching in drinking water; Introduce corporate culture and integrate talent cultivation into the connotation construction of practical training bases.

Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd. a integrated enterprise which is focus on natural products, plant extract related products and services.We mainly focus on pharmaceutical, functional food, Freeze-dried powder,Natural Pigment,Homology of medicine and food,beverages and other business services.

For more information, please contact us!

2023-12-28

Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.

Extraction technology of anthocyanins and their application in food