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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » Natural Products Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #400838
Research Project: Discovery and Development of Natural Product-Based Pesticides and Pharmaceuticals

Location: Natural Products Utilization Research

Title: Advances in the chemistry, analysis, and adulteration of anthocyanin rich-berries and fruits: 2000-2022

Author
item AVULA, BHARRATHI - University Of Mississippi
item KATRAGUNTA, KUMAR - University Of Mississippi
item OSMAN, AHMED - University Of Mississippi
item ALI, ZULFIQAR - University Of Mississippi
item ADAMS, SEBASTIAN JOHN - University Of Mississippi
item CHITTIBOYINA, AMAR - University Of Mississippi
item KHAN, IKHLAS - University Of Mississippi

Submitted to: Molecules
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/29/2022
Publication Date: 1/5/2023
Citation: Avula, B., Katragunta, K., Osman, A.G., Ali, Z., Adams, S., Chittiboyina, A.G., Khan, I.A. 2023. Advances in the chemistry, analysis, and adulteration of anthocyanin rich-berries and fruits: 2000-2022. Molecules. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28020560.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28020560

Interpretive Summary: Anthocyanins occur prevalently in plants in combination with other polyphenols including different subclasses of flavonoids and phenolic acids. The most widely used extraction solvents for anthocyanins are aqueous acetone, methanol, and ethanol. Currently, LC-DAD and LC-MS are the most popular and reliable methods for analyzing these compounds. The use of LC-DAD in combination with MS is an outstanding tool for the rapid separation, identification, and quantification of anthocyanins, taking advantage of the chromatographic and spectral characteristics of the LC system and the resolution and separation by mass fragments of MS. However, MS data does not give detailed and conclusive structural information, especially when isomeric compounds, like cis and trans conformers, are studied. In such cases, the combination of both MS and NMR spectroscopies leads to unequivocal identification of the individual anthocyanins. NMR and MALDI-ToF-MS are very powerful and extremely sensitive techniques for the structure characterization of anthocyanins, how-ever, both techniques are costly and require experienced and skilled operators, which limits their application and exploitation. In addition, integrating two or more methods. especially fingerprint comparison with HPLC and/or HPTLC analysis can also improve the reliability of work and the quality aspect of berry/fruit products. Moreover, coupling spectroscopic and imaging tools with non-thermal methods is also an available option in future studies.

Technical Abstract: Anthocyanins are reported to exhibit a wide variety of remedial qualities against many human disorders, including antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory activity, amelioration of cardiovascular diseases, improvement of cognitive decline, and are touted to protect against neurodegenerative disorders. Anthocyanins are water soluble naturally occurring polyphenols containing sugar moiety and are found abundantly in colored fruits/berries. Various chromatographic (HPLC/HPTLC) and spectroscopic (IR, NMR) techniques as standalone or in hyphenated forms such as LC-MS/ LC-NMR are routinely used to gauge the chemical composition and ensure the overall quality of anthocyanins in berries, fruits, and finished products. The major emphasis of the current review is to compile and disseminate various analytical methodologies on characterization, quantification, and chemical profiling of the whole array of anthocyanins in berries, and fruits within the last two decades. In addition, the factors affecting the stability of anthocyanins, including pH, light exposure, solvents, metal ions, and the presence of other substances, such as enzymes and proteins, were addressed. Several sources of anthocyanins, including berries and fruit with their botanical identity and respective yields of anthocyanins, were covered. In addition to chemical characterization, economically motivated adulteration of anthocyanin-rich fruits and berries due to increasing consumer demand will also be the subject of discussion. Finally, the health benefits and the medicinal utilities of anthocyanins were briefly discussed. A literature search was performed using electronic databases from PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, and Google Scholar, and the search was conducted covering the period from January 2000 to November 2022.