Anthocyanins (also
anthocyans; from
Greek: ἄνθος (
anthos) "flower" and κυάνεος/κυανοῦς
kyaneos/kyanous "dark blue") are
water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their
pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist
Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compound that gives flowers a blue color for the first time in his treatise “Die Farben der Blüthen”. Food plants rich in anthocyanins include the blueberry, raspberry,
black rice, and black soybean, among many others that are red, blue, purple, or black. Some of the colors of autumn leaves are derived from anthocyanins.
[1][2]
Anthocyanins belong to a parent class of
molecules called
flavonoids synthesized via the
phenylpropanoid pathway. They occur in all
tissues of higher plants, including
leaves,
stems,
roots,
flowers, and
fruits. Anthocyanins are derived from
anthocyanidins by adding sugars.
[3] They are odorless and moderately
astringent.
Although approved to
color foods and beverages in the European Union, anthocyanins are not approved for use as a
food additive because they have not been verified as safe when used as food or
supplement ingredients.
[4] There is no conclusive evidence that anthocyanins have any effect on human biology or diseases.
[4][5][6]
In cannabis, they are most often triggered by cold temps.
