ABSTRACT
Anthocyanin pigments are responsible for the red to purple to blue colors of many fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, and flowers. There is a substan tial body of knowledge on anthocyanin pigm ent chemistry in the scientific literature. Perhaps because of their beauty, but m ore certainly because of their roles as pollination attractants and phytoprotective agents, they have long been investigated by botanists and plant physiologists. As secondary plant metabolites they serve as systematic markers in taxonomic studies. Because of their role in the color quality of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, they continue to be studied by food scientists and horticulturists.
