State of the Art of Anthocyanins: Antioxidant Activity, Sources, Bioavailability, and Therapeutic Effect in Human Health.

Noelia Tena,Julia Martín,Agustín G Asuero

doi:10.3390/antiox9050451

Abstract

The antioxidant activity of anthocyanins in food is well known. Numerous antioxidant assays have been proposed to measure the capacity of anthocyanins to prevent the oxidation process that naturally occurs. Different solvents, temperatures, and pH levels are applied in each assay, and these factors should be taken into account in order to obtain useful and reproducible results. The concentration and the structure of these compounds are directly related to their antioxidant capacity and their environment. However, the effectiveness of the anthocyanin ingestion against diseases is also influenced by its bioavailability. Novel methodologies that simulate the digestion process have been developed in order to facilitate the current knowledge of anthocyanins bioavailability. Studies highlight the potential synergy effect between parent compounds and their derivatives (metabolites, conjugated products, and microbe-generated metabolites). The aim of this review is to provide an overview of advantages and disadvantages of the most common methods to determine the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins, chemical structure, and concentration of these compounds in different edible fruits, vegetables, and plants; their bioavailability after intake; as well as the main therapeutic effect described in the scientific literature.

Highlights

In recent years, the interest in plants and food containing antioxidant properties has increased.The chemical compounds present in vegetables and fruits with these capacities are: vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and flavonoids
In order to establish the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins and how their intake affects the human health, many factors should be taken into account
An evaluation of the antioxidant activity from a multiparametric perspective is requires as the total concentration, the structure, the nature of the sample, the pH and the mechanism of the reaction play an important role in their effect

Summary

Introduction

The interest in plants and food containing antioxidant properties has increased.The chemical compounds present in vegetables and fruits with these capacities are: vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and flavonoids. The anthocyanins, which are the most important group of flavonoids in plants, are pigments with a flavylium cation (AH+ ) structure that act as acid. This structure is directly related to its antioxidant activity. Most of the functional properties and the sensory quality of the anthocyanins can be explained by their chemical reactivity. The structures and properties of anthocyanins are dependent on different factors such as pH, temperature, and solvents which should be controlled to carry out antioxidant activity studies of these compounds [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion