Extraction Technology of Anthocyanins and Its Application in Food

Anthocyanins, also known as anthocyanins, are water-soluble natural pigments that are widely found in nature. Currently, there are about 20 types of anthocyanins known to humans, while there are 6 types in food, such as geranium pigment, cornflower pigment, paeoniflorin, and morning glory pigment.

The application range of anthocyanins is mainly in the field of food, which can be used to color food, and anthocyanins are also indispensable in fuels, medicine, and cosmetics.

Application of PART1 anthocyanins in food

Anthocyanins are widely used in various fields due to their excellent coloring properties, especially in food coloring technology.

However, during the processing and storage of anthocyanins, there are high requirements for external environmental conditions. Temperature, pH, light, moisture, and even oxygen can affect the stability of anthocyanins. Adding metal ions, whey protein, or adjusting pH values to anthocyanin solutions can help improve the stability of anthocyanins. In addition, microencapsulation of anthocyanins or the addition of cochromic agents can also help improve the stability of anthocyanins.

Moreover, microencapsulation of anthocyanins has a strong ability to scavenge free radicals in the body, so enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase can play a certain role in improving the overall antioxidant capacity of the whole cell, thereby greatly improving the survival rate of the cell.

Technological innovation based on the biological characteristics of anthocyanins can largely 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.

Main Extraction Techniques of PART2 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 a lower destructive effect on anthocyanins.

2.2 Microwave extraction technology

Microwave has a strong penetrating ability, and it can also promote intermolecular motion, playing a certain role in warming up. 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

In general extraction solvents, hydrochloric acid and methanol are widely used, and the use of acidified methanol to extract anthocyanins from radish is also very effective. Therefore, the extraction technology of organic solvents 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 effects of temperature and pressure on the solubility of supercritical fluids.

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

However, due to the polarity characteristics of anthocyanins, it is necessary to pay attention to the pressure and the allocation of organic solvents during extraction. The purity of anthocyanins extracted by supercritical fluid extraction is as high as 97.82%.

In general, among the above extraction technologies, solvent extraction is easy to operate, but in practical work, there are problems such as long extraction time, high solvent consumption, and certain pollution to the external environment. Although ultrasonic and microwave technologies require high experimental equipment, their efficiency is high.

Practical Application of PART3 in the Food Industry

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

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 kinds of food, providing a variety of beautiful coats for food. In addition to giving food a brilliant color, anthocyanins can also provide higher level nutritional value. For example, yogurt added with anthocyanins not only has a unique flavor, It also has certain health functions, such as mulberry anthocyanins and blueberry anthocyanins, which have been applied to yogurt products to make the fermented yogurt have a fragrance and fruit aroma.

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