Chemical studies of anthocyanins: A review

Anthocyanins are natural colorants which have raised a growing interest due to their extensive range of colors, innocuous and beneficial health effects. Despite the great potential of application that anthocyanins represent for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, their use has been limited because of their relative instability and low extraction percentages. Currently, most investigations on anthocyanins are focused on solving these problems, as well as their purification and identification. In this paper, the most recent advances in the chemical investigation of the anthocyanins are summarised, emphasising the effects of pH, co-pigmentation, metal ion complexation and antioxidant activity on their stability.