Occurrence of Anthocyanins in Plants

Anthocyanins are the largest group of water-soluble pigments of plant kingdom, are odorless and flavorless and occur in various parts of plants, nuts, vegetables, fruits, legumes and cereals where they perform various specific functions. All anthocyanins are made up of a common single aromatic structure, i.e. cyanidin with different modifications at various places of this ring structure. Predominantly these are found in outer cell layers such as peripheral mesophyll cells and epidermis. The rich sources of anthocyanins are Vaccinium species and Rubus species. The highest recorded contents of anthocyanins are in seed coart of black soybean (Glycine max L. Merr), pulps and skins of black chokeberry and husks and kernals of purple corn. This chapter describes occurrence of anthocyanins in various plant organs, their concentrations and their functions in each part of plant. Anthocyanin rich vegetables and fruits have also been highlighted.