Anthocyanins from fruit and vegetable waste: biosynthesis, extraction, and gut health benefits

Anthocyanins (ANCs), naturally abundant in fruit and vegetable waste, represent a promising class of sustainable functional ingredients with notable gut-related health benefits. This review uniquely focuses on waste-derived anthocyanins and their microbiome-modulating effects, including enhancement of intestinal barrier integrity, prebiotic-like activity, and short-chain fatty acid production. Advances in green extraction and purification techniques such as ultrasound-, microwave-, enzyme-assisted, pulsed electric field, and deep eutectic solvent-based methods have improved recovery efficiency while promoting environmental sustainability. Furthermore, stabilization strategies including acylation, protein/polysaccharide complexation, co-pigmentation, and nano/microencapsulation enhance anthocyanin bioavailability and industrial applicability. By integrating technological innovation with gut health insights, this review highlights emerging opportunities to valorize agro-industrial waste and develop next-generation nutraceutical and functional food systems.