Acylated pelargonidin glycosides in the red-purple flowers of Pharbitis nil

Four acylated pelargonidin glycosides and pelargonidin 3-sophoroside-5-glucoside were isolated from 23 red-purple cultivars of Pharbitis nil. The acylated anthocyanins were all based on pelargonidin 3-sophoroside-5-glucoside and were identified as the 3-O-[2-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(trans-caffeyl)-beta-D- glucopyranoside]-5-O-(beta-D-glucopyranoside), the 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(trans-3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)caffeyl)-beta- D-glucopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-(beta-D-glucopyranoside), the 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(trans-3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)caffeyl)-beta- D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(trans-caffeyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-(beta- D-glucopyranoside); and the 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(trans-3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)caffeyl)-beta-D- glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(trans-4-O-(6-O-(trans-3-O-(beta-D- glucopyranosyl)caffeyl)- beta-D-glucopyranosyl)caffeyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-(beta-D- glucopyranoside). By the analysis of these anthocyanin constituents variously in 23 cultivars, it was found that the red flower colour gradually changed into more bluish colour with increasing numbers of caffeic acid residues in the acylated pelargonidin glycosides. The stabilities of these anthocyanins increased in the order of increasing caffeyl substitution.