Anthocyanins

What are

Anthocyanins, whose name derives from the "union of the Greek words" antro kyanos "= blue flower, are colored pigments present in various common flowers and fruits.
From the chemical point of view we speak of anthocyanin glycosides.

A glycoside is a substance deriving from the union of a sugar, called glycone, with an organic molecule of another nature, called aglycone. In anthocyanins the non-sugary portion of the molecule is commonly called anthocyanidin.

In nature there are different types of anthocyanidins, among which we recall the most important, called, respectively, pelargoidin, cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, petunidin and malvidin.

Foods rich in anthocyanins

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, anthocyanins are found in almost all fruits and vegetables present in nature, to which they give the shades of red and blue. Their color is in fact linked to the vacuolar pH (vacuoles are vesicles containing reserve substances, including anthocyanins and other secondary metabolites). Similarly to litmus paper, anthocyanins take on a reddish color in an acidic environment; on the contrary, when the pH is high (basic environment) they express the various shades of blue.

Before explaining why anthocyanins are so important for human health, it is good to say a few words about their function in the plant kingdom. In this regard, various hypotheses have been advanced; some, for example, believe that anthocyanins are essential for attracting pollinating insects first to the flower, and then animals to the fruit. Some authors attribute to these pigments the ability to filter harmful solar radiations; still others extend this hypothesis by attributing to anthocyanins a protective function from drought in moments of high illumination.

Anthocyanins in food

The richest natural sources of these substances are wild berries, aubergines, dark grapes and red chard.

Anthocyanins also abound in the flowers of mallow and carcadè, as well as in oranges, cherries, apples, strawberries and pears.

In general, the more intense their color (reddish or blue) is, the greater the precious load of anthocyanins.

Property

Antioxidant power

Although anthocyanins are not essential for human nutrition, they exert a "positive action on" the whole organism. Thanks to their strong antioxidant properties, they are compared by some to a real natural antidote against aging. Rationalizing the miraculous terms of this statement, the most interesting property of anthocyanins concerns the protective action on the microcirculation. For this reason, blueberry juice, which is the main natural source of anthocyanin glycosides, is often recommended to combat capillary fragility (cellulite, varicose veins, hemorrhoids); moreover, thanks to its anti-edema action, it is very useful for solving water retention problems. The anthocyanins of the blueberry are also important for the treatment of the fragility and capillary permeability of the eye. Recently, considerable media space is being given to a fruit even richer in anthocyanins, the maqui, typical of South America and renamed the fruit of eternal youth.

The anthocyanin glycosides are attributed anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet properties which, together with the vasodilatory and antioxidant action, constitute a real cure-all for the entire cardiovascular system. An adequate consumption of foods rich in anthocyanins therefore represents one of the most valid protections against the negative effects induced by hypercholesterolemia.

Finally, anthocyanins have a scavenger action (finds waste) on free radicals and are therefore very important for the general well-being of the organism (protection from carcinogens) and to slow down the inevitable biological phenomenon of aging.

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