anthocyaninrich

Anthocyaninrich is a descriptive term for foods, plant tissues, or products high in anthocyanins, a group of water-soluble pigments that confer red, purple, or blue colors to many fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Anthocyanins are flavonoids and occur in plants as glycosides of anthocyanidins such as cyanidin, delphinidin, and pelargonidin. Their color and stability depend on pH, temperature, and processing, and they can degrade or transform during handling and cooking.

Common anthocyanin-rich sources include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, purple potatoes, purple corn, red cabbage, black rice, grapes and their products, elderberries, and some plums and cherries. The content varies with cultivar, maturity, growing conditions, and storage.

Measurement is typically by high-performance liquid chromatography, expressed as mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents per 100 g, though consumer labels often use nonstandard terms. The phrase anthocyanin-rich is largely a marketing description rather than a regulated category.

Health considerations: consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods is linked to antioxidant activity and polyphenol intake, but robust clinical evidence for specific health benefits is limited. Bioavailability varies with food matrix and processing, and heating or light exposure can reduce pigment content.

In horticulture and nutrition science, breeding for higher anthocyanin content aims to improve color, pigment stability, and potential health-related attributes.