| Abstract
| - Anthocyanins are natural colorants belonging to the flavonoid family.They are widely distributedamong flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Using the automated oxygenradical absorbance capacity(ORAC) assay developed in our laboratory, we determined the antioxidantcapacity of 14anthocyanins including the aglycons delphinidin, cyanindin,pelargonidin, malvidin, peonidin, andtheir derivatives with different sugar linkages. Among theseanthocyanins, kuromanin (cyanidin-3-glucoside) had the highest ORAC activity, which was 3.5 times strongerthan Trolox (vitamin Eanalogue), while pelargonin had the lowest antioxidant activity but wasstill as potent as Trolox.Different patterns of hydroxylation and glycosylation inanthocyanins appear to modulate theirantioxidant properties. Therefore, in addition to their colorfulcharacteristics, anthocyanins possesspotent antioxidant properties. Keywords: Anthocyanins; flavonoids; colorants; ORAC; antioxidant; peroxylradical
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