Anthocyanin Antioxidants - Just the FAQs
We've been reading a lot in magazines and newspapers about antioxidant plant foods, fruits such as blueberries and cranberries, and we see that the word anthocyanins.
What are Anthocyanins?
Anthocyanin (Etymology: Greek. Anthos = flower kyáneos = purple) are water-soluble pigments that reflect the range from red to blue in the visible spectrum. The color depends on the acidity of the environment.
Anthocyanins exist only in plants with bright colors in everything from the petals of flowers to autumn leaves and edible fruit or vegetables. Identification studies chemistry reveals that there are about 600 single anthocyanins in nature.
How anthocyanins are synthesized in the plant?
Here is a brief summary of botany. Anthocyanins are formed from chemical raw materials in the plant, with the amino acid phenylalanine, or another chemical called coenzyme A. malonyl These two substrates are joined to form the base material for anthocyanins called "chalcones" which lead to the production of anthocyanins after a series steps of the enzyme.
The parent material of anthocyanins is a group of similar structures called "anthocyanins" and "proanthocyanidins" containing n molecules of sugar. When sugars are attached, an anthocyanin glycoside is formed, taking the form characteristic of anthocyanins.
When first isolated by chemists, anthocyanins many were named after the colorful flowers that were extracted, as petunidin (Petunia) rosinidin (pink) and peonidin (peony).
The large class of antioxidant anthocyanins also cyanidins - all these compounds belong to the group of compounds called flavonoids in the family of super-antioxidant phenolic or polyphenols name.
What is the purpose of anthocyanins in a plant?
Anthocyanins exist primarily to preserve the regeneration of the plant. In flowers, the anthocyanins in the colored petals attract pollinators while in fruits, berries brightly colored, which reside in the skin to attract animals that eat the fruit and then disperse the seeds in their droppings. This is the efficient way of nature of the symbiosis between a plant and animal nutrition.
Anthocyanins also serve a protective function similar to a solar " by absorbing the ultraviolet light that plants face of constant exposure to the sun.
This "sun protection" function is believed to is the reason why many deciduous plants turn red in autumn. When the green chlorophyll is broken, and as the leaves begin to dehydrate and die, anthocyanins shield of the leaf tissues, while the rest of the plant nutrients move back in stems and vascular system of the tree.
How benefit of anthocyanins and what plant foods contain?
In the investigation of berries in particular have shown that anthocyanins have strong antioxidant qualities cells that guard the fruit pulp and seeds of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) formed during normal metabolism of the plant and exposure to ultraviolet light.
When people eat foods rich in anthocyanins, you get the benefit of antioxidant qualities, giving us the same capability to combat damaging free radicals.
Among plant foods provide the richest sources of anthocyanins are blackberries, blueberries, blackberries, currants and cherries (up to 400 mg per serving of 100 grams) and Concord grapes (as high as 750 mg/100 g). Two of the richest sources of anthocyanins in berries in palmberry black raspberry and tropical (or ACAI).
A good general rule is: the fruit dark blue, purple or black that easily stain your fingers (or thumb) during the harvest are a great source of anthocyanins.
Food does not plant the berry rich in anthocyanins are brightly colored (blue), vegetables as the purple cabbage and eggplant. White Plant foods such as bananas, pears and potatoes do not contain significant levels of anthocyanins.
Do you know the values health of eating foods rich in anthocyanins?
Medical research has been examining potential health or aid against the disease have in anthocyanins, rich plant foods such as berries in the regular human diet.
Although the work should be considered preliminary until they are completed in-depth clinical trials the list of potential benefits are many and include the positive effects against:
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Inflammation
• Heart and vascular disease
• Alzheimers
• Other types of neurodegeneration
• High blood cholesterol
• Stroke
• Bacterial infections
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Age-related vision impairment with
• Premature aging
Reading
Wikipedia, free encyclopedia, http://www.wikipedia.com
PubMed, database of online literature from the National Library of Medicine U.S. http://pubmed.gov
Shahidi F, M. Naczk phenolic compounds in foods and nutraceuticals, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2003.
About the Author
Dr. Paul Gross is a scientist and expert on cardiovascular and brain physiology. A published researcher, Gross recently completed a book on the Chinese wolfberry and has begun another on antioxidant berries. Gross is founder of Berry Health Inc, a developer of nutritional, berry-based supplements. For more information, visit http://www.berrywiSEOnline.com
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