In order to evaluate the utility of the anthocyanins of Amaranthus tricolor L. as an edible pigment, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of pH, temperature, ascorbic acid, sugars and their degradation products, quercetin, thiourea, sodium pyrophosphate and metal ions on the stability of the anthocyanins in the model systems. The results obtained from this study were as follows.
1. The degradation of total anthocyanins was retarded as the pH levels decreased from 8.0 to 1.0. At pH 1.0, however, the initial degradation reaction proceeded faster than at pH 2.0 to 3.0
2. On heating in buffered aqueous solution at 80℃, the total anthocyanin content was higher at pH 2.0 than other pH levels. Increasing the storage temperature accelerated greatly the pigment degradation. In darkness at 40℃, after 10 days, only 19% of the original amount was left, while at 2℃, under the same conditions of storage, approximately 90% of the pigment was retained. The half-life of the pigment, 63.0 days at 2℃, shortened to 1.7 days at 40℃.
3. An increase in ascorbic acid concentration from 0. 15 to 0.50 ㎎/㎖ lowered the anthocyanin retention.
4. There was no significant difference between glucose and fructose in anthocyanin degradation effect. Furfural was more effective than other sugar degradation products, formic acid or levulinic acid in accelerating anthocyanin breakdown.
5. Neither quercetin nor sodium pyrophosphate had a protective effect on the anthocyanins in the presence of ascorbic acid, while, in the systems 0. 5 or 1 ㎎/㎖ of thiourea with 150 ㎍/㎖ of ascorbic acid, the loss of anthocyanins was significantly reduced.
6. Both mercuric and cupric ions in 30 ppm greatly accelerated anthocyanin degradation.
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