Research Progress of Physiological Activity and Preparations of Anthocyanins

With the improvement of living standards, people gradually develop a scientific way of life. As a natural antioxidant, anthocyanin has the functions of anti-oxidation, anti-aging, scavenging free radicals, anti-inflammation, bacteriostasis, preventing obesity, cardiovascular protection, lowering blood sugar, improving eyesight, improving cognitive ability, preventing senile dementia, preventing cancer and other active effects. Because of its high nutritional value, safety, non-toxicity, rich resources and a variety of physiological activities, it has great potential in food, makeup, medicine and other applications. However, anthocyanin is unstable under the conditions of temperature, light, pH, metal particles, which limits its biological activity and application. The stability of anthocyanins can be improved by adding co-pigments, phenolic compounds, phenolic acids, flavonoids, amino acids and peptides, proteins, natural sweeteners and so on. But, anthocyanins have been in the process of degradation, and these methods have some limitations in the process of application. In recent years, embedding with suitable materials has shown great potential in the stabilization of food active ingredients and the improvement of bioavailability. Common methods include microcapsules, nanoparticles, lipid-based particles such as emulsions and liposomes, and nano/microgels and so on. Though, the stability time of anthocyanins is shorter than other products in the market, and can’t fully meet the market demand, so it’s necessary to develop new methods to increase the stability of anthocyanins. This article outlines the methods of extracting and separating anthocyanins, and summarizes the research status of anthocyanins' physiological activities and their preparations, and provides references for in-depth research on anthocyanins in the fields of medicine and food.