Updated insights into anthocyanin stability behavior from bases to cases: Why and why not anthocyanins lose during food processing

Anthocyanins have received considerable attention for the development of food products with attractive colors and potential health benefits. However, anthocyanin applications have been hindered by stability issues, especially in the context of complex food matrices and diverse processing methods. From the natural microenvironment of plants to complex processed food matrices and formulations, there may happen comprehensive changes to anthocyanins, leading to unpredictable stability behavior under various processing conditions. In particular, anthocyanin hydration, degradation, and oxidation during thermal operations in the presence of oxygen represent major challenges. First, this review aims to summarize our current understanding of key anthocyanin stability issues focusing on the chemical properties and their consequences in complex food systems. The subsequent efforts to examine plenty of cases attempt to unravel a universal pattern and provide thorough guidance for future food practice regarding anthocyanins. Additionally, we put forward a model with highlights on the role of the balance between anthocyanin release and degradation in stability evaluations. Our goal is to engender updated insights into anthocyanin stability behavior under food processing conditions and provide a robust foundation for the development of anthocyanin stabilization strategies, expecting to promote more and deeper progress in this field.