Nutrition Guide

Protocyanin is an anthocyanin pigment that is responsible for the red colouration of roses, but in cornflowers is blue. The pigment was first isolated in 1913 from the blue cornflower,[1] and the identical pigment was isolated from a red rose in 1915.[2] The difference in colour difference was previously explained as a difference in flower-petal pH,[2] but the pigment in the blue cornflower has been shown to be a supermolecular pigment consisting of a complex of anthocyanin, flavone, one ferric iron, one magnesium and two calcium ions. [3]

Peonidin 3-O, found in red onion

Peonidin is an anthocyanidin, and a primary plant pigment. Peonidin gives purplish-red hues to flowers such as the peony, from which it takes its name, and roses. It is also present in some blue flowers, such as the morning glory.

Like most anthocyanidins it is pH sensitive, and changes from red to blue as pH rises. This happens because anthocyanidins are highly conjugated chromophores. When the pH is changed, the extent of the conjugation (of the double bonds) is altered, which alters the wavelength of light energy absorbed by the molecule. (Natural anthocyanidins are most stable in a very low pH environment; at pH 8.0, most become colorless.) At pH 2.0, peonidin is cherry red; at 3.0 a strong yellowish pink; at 5.0 it is grape red-purple; and at 8.0 it becomes deep blue; unlike many anthocyanidins, however, it is stable at higher pH, and has in fact been isolated as a blue colorant from the brilliant “Heavenly Blue” morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor Cav cv).

Because of its unusual color stability,a cafeyl-acylated buffered formulation of it has been patented for use as food coloring.

Peonidin, like many anthodcyanidins, has show potent inhibitory and apoptotic effects on cancer cells in vitro, notably metastatic human breast cancer cells.[1] A very large question, however, has been raised about anthocyanidins’ penetration and retention in human cells in vivo, due to their rapid elimination from the human body.

By far the greatest dietary source of peonidin is raw cranberries, which contain 42 mg per 100 g of fruit.[citation needed] Blueberries, plums, grapes, and cherries also contain significant amounts, ranging from 5 to 12 mg/100 g. Only fresh fruit has been shown to contain significant peonidin; frozen blueberries have been shown to contain almost none. It has also been isolated from raw black rice and black bananas.

The higher levels of peonidin in fresh fruit corresponds to the rule of thumb that more natural fruit is healthier. Specifically, the amount of phenolic compounds in cranberries have been found to be inversely correlated with fruit size and crop yield. [2]

Pelargonidin is an anthocyanidin, or type of plant pigment. Like all anthocyanins, it is an antioxidant. It produces an characteristic orange color, and can be found in red geraniums, and ripe raspberries and strawberries, as well as blueberries, blackberries, plums and cranberries and pomegranates.

Delphinidin is an anthocyanidin, a primary plantpigment, also an antioxidant. Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers like violas and delphiniums. It also gives the blue-red color of the grape that produces Cabernet Sauvignon, and can be found in cranberries and Concord grapes as well as pomegranite.

Delphinidin, like nearly all other anthocyanidins is pH sensitive, and changes from blue in basic solution to red in acidic solution.

cyanidin-3-rutinoside (3-C-R)
cyanidin 3-O, found in red onion
cyanidin 7-O, found in red onion
cyanidin 3,4?-di-O-?-glucopyranoside, found in red onion
cyanidin 4?-O-?-glucoside, found in red onion

Cyanidin, like other anthocyanidins, has putative antioxidant and radical-scavenging effects which may protect cells from oxidative damage and reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. One theory is that dietary intake of cyanidins may inhibit development of obesity and diabetes as well as contain inflammatory mechanisms.[3]

Other studies have generally shown that the glucoside derivative of cyanidin may have a role in cancer therapy.[4][5][6]

Cyanidin is a natural organic compound. It is a particular type of anthocyanidin (not to be confused with anthocyanins which are glycosides of anthocyanidins). It is a pigment found in many redberries including but not limited to grapes, bilberry, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, elderberry, hawthorn, loganberry, acai berry and raspberry.[1] It can also be found in other fruits such as apples and plums. It is also found in red cabbage. It has a characteristic reddish-orange color, though this can change with pH, red ph < 3, violet at pH 7-8, blue at pH > 11. The highest concentrations of cyanidin are found in the skin of the fruit. Recently, the biosynthesis of cyanidin 3-O-glucoside in Escherichia coli was demonstrated.[2]

Richly concentrated as pigments in berries, anthocyanins were the topics of research presented at a 2007 symposium on health benefits that may result from berry consumption.[17] Scientists provided laboratory evidence for potential health effects against
cancer
aging and neurological diseases
inflammation
diabetes
bacterial infections

Cancer research on anthocyanins is the most advanced, where black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) preparations were first used to inhibit chemically induced cancer of the rat esophagus by 30-60% and of the colon by up to 80%.[18][17] Effective at both the initiation and promotion/progression stages of tumor development, black raspberries are a practical research tool and a promising therapeutic source, as they contain the richest contents of anthocyanins among native North American Rubus berries.[3]

Work on laboratory cancer models has shown that black raspberry anthocyanins inhibit promotion and progression of tumor cells by
stalling growth of pre-malignant cells
accelerating the rate of cell turnover, called apoptosis, effectively making the cancer cells die faster
reducing inflammatory mediators that initiate tumor onset
inhibiting growth of new blood vessels that nourish tumors, a process called angiogenesis
minimizing cancer-induced DNA damage.

On a molecular level, berry anthocyanins were shown to turn off genes involved with proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation and angiogenesis.[19][20][21]

In 2007, black raspberry studies entered the next pivotal level of research – the human clinical trial – for which several approved studies are underway to examine anti-cancer effects of black raspberries and cranberries on tumors in the esophagus, prostate and colon.[2

Anthocyanins are being used in organic solar cells because of their ability to absorb light and convert it into electrons[15]. There are many benefits to using dye-sensitized solar cells instead of the traditional silicon cells, such as abundance of anthocyanins, the projected 90% efficiency, and the ability to bend or print these inks[16].