Plant Anthocyanin Compounds: Novel Horizons in Ensuring Food Security

Anthocyanins, a class of water-soluble flavonoid pigments, not only impart vibrant red, purple, and blue hues to plant-based foods but also play a critical role in advancing global food safety and security. Their potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties help reduce food spoilage, inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, and extend shelf life—contributing directly to safer food systems. Structurally, anthocyanins’ stability and activity depend on pH, temperature, and glycosylation patterns, which influence their ability to neutralize reactive oxygen species and prevent oxidative deterioration in foods. In agriculture, anthocyanin-rich crops improve resilience against abiotic stresses, enhance nutritional quality, and improvement market value—factors essential for sustainable food production and nutrition security. Recent innovations, including encapsulation and intelligent pH-sensitive packaging, have expanded their potential for active and smart food preservation, offering visual indicators of spoilage and ensuring transparency in food quality. The food industry can enhance consumer safety and environmental health by incorporating anthocyanins into biosafe preservation technologies and sustainable packaging systems.. Thus, anthocyanins emerge as multifunctional, eco-friendly biomolecules that bridge the domains of plant defense, food quality assurance, and global food security.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anthocyanin ، Food safety ، Food security ، Antioxidant ، Intelligent packaging ، Sustainability