Polysaccharide-metal ion chelation-mediated regulation of anthocyanin stability and molecular interactions
Yan Ma1, Xin Hu1, Mengze Wang1
1School of Food Science and Engineering, Ningxia Key Laboratory for Functional Exploration of Characteristic Agricultural Products and Food Biomanufacturing, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Technology Innovation Team for High-Quality Development of Characteristic Agricultural Products, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, PR China.
Abstract:
Anthocyanins are widely recognized as natural colorants with diverse bioactive properties, but their poor thermal stability restricts their application in food systems. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) characterizes the anthocyanin (ACN) profile of Lycium ruthenicum Murr.. The effects and underlying mechanisms of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), Zn2+/Ca2+, and their combined interactions (ACN-LBPs-Zn2+/Ca2+) on the thermal stability of anthocyanins were systematically investigated. The results showed that the ACN-LBPs-Zn2+/Ca2+ systems significantly enhanced anthocyanin thermal stability, with the ACN-LBPs-Zn2+ system increasing the half-lives of total anthocyanins and total petunidin by 3.49- and 2.53-fold, respectively. Mechanistic investigations indicated that LBPs interacted with Zn2+/Ca2+ to form compact cross-linked networks, while hydrogen bonding and coordination interactions stabilized ACN molecules, inhibiting thermal degradation. These findings provide a theoretical basis for improving the color stability of anthocyanin-containing foods and offer a promising strategy for developing highly stable natural anthocyanin pigments for food applications.
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