Anthocyanins are natural plant compounds responsible for some of the red, purple and blue colours in fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins are flavonoids and evidence suggests that they have a range of health effects. A large number of fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, but berries are an especially rich source. Many foods contain anthocyanins as partial ingredients and their stabilities in these foods have been investigated. Some evidence suggests that anthocyanins have poor stability and low shelf lives once removed from their natural cellular environment. Anthocyanins are more stable in acid environments and the colour of the anthocyanins changes with pH from red in acid conditions to purple in alkali conditions. As pH reaches around 7, the rate of degradation of the anthocyanins accelerates. In dark and cooler conditions the stability of anthocyanins is increased, and as temperature and light conditions increase, degradation occurs. Thermal processing of foods therefore reduces the anthocyanin content significantly.
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