Procyanidins and anthocyanins are considered value added food ingredients in a variety of matrices. Depending on the food matrix, procyanidins, anthocyanins, and other polyphenols may or may not be desirable to the consumers. Monomer forms of procyanidins (flavan-3-ols such as catechin and epicatechin) provide a bitter flavor to food products, but become more astringent / less bitter as polymerization increases. Anthocyanins have a distinct influence on the consumer acceptance of a product because of their ability to produce a natural orange-red to blue-violet color. Consumer demand for healthier high quality food products has driven the industry to create food products with higher concentrations of procyanidins / anthocyanins and the need to develop better techniques for analysis of these phytonutrients. There is a need for increased understanding of the chemistry of these compounds in a variety of food matrices, as well as, the development of more reproducible methods for characterization, quantification, and authentication of these powerful phytonutrients for many purposes including validation of labeling claims.
The long-term goal is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the role of
procyanidins and anthocyanins in the diet and the many positive health benefits attributed to these compounds upon consumption by the consumer. The specific goal of this research was to develop better analytical methods for identification and quantification of procyanidins and anthocyanins in foods and to apply those methods to understand their chemistry in various food matrices, while monitoring the viability, stability, and integrity of these compounds to select processing conditions.