Biopolymer-based encapsulation of anthocyanins as reinforced natural colorants for food applications

Anthocyanins are natural colorants receiving increasing interests from food industry due to their variety of colors and health benefits. However, the instability of anthocyanins against environmental stress may limit their applications, which could be improved by the encapsulation systems built by various biopolymers including proteins, polysaccharides, and the composite formulations. In this review, the main biopolymers utilized as encapsulant materials for anthocyanins’ protection and delivery have been introduced; the geometry of these encapsulation systems, their properties and the technologies involved in the fabrications have also been discussed. The information present in this review is useful to guide the encapsulation of anthocyanins for food applications.