Addition of sucrose during the blueberry heating process is good or bad? Evaluating the changes of anthocyanins/anthocyanidins and the anticancer ability in HepG-2 cells

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the role of sucrose on the stability of anthocyanins during heating and the anticancer effects of anthocyanins/anthocyanidins on HepG-2 cells. The anthocyanins extract was heated at 70 °C, 100 °C, and 120 °C in the presence of 5%, 10%, and 20% sucrose. Total anthocyanin content, anthocyanin/anthocyanidin species, and the ability to induce HepG-2 cell apoptosis were evaluated. The results indicated that the total anthocyanin content decreased during heating at temperatures above 70 °C. Anthocyanins were degraded into anthocyanidins after heat treatment and the degradation rate positively correlated with temperature. The degradation of anthocyanins was inhibited with the addition 5% to 20% sucrose. However, sucrose had no protective effect on the total anthocyanin content. The anticancer ability of blueberry extract was assayed using HepG-2 cells and found to be associated with the concentration of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins displayed stronger anticancer activity than anthocyanidins and this has not been reported so far.