The Efficacy of Using Acylated Anthocyanins as a Coloring Agent in Maraschino Cherry Production

One of the first assessments consumers make when purchasing food products is that of color. If consumers have always known and expected a product to appear a certain way, they will instinctively look for that in stores. For example, Maraschino cherries are known for their bright red color due to the use of FD&C Red No. 40 (allura red), and consumers expect to see this. However, FD&C Red No. 40 is an artificial coloring agent, and natural replacements have been, and are being, investigated. Among the top candidates is pelargonidin, an acylated anthocyanin found primarily in red radish (Raphanus sativus).

Pelargonidin’s relative stability, and its similarity in color to FD&C Red No. 40, makes it an excellent prospect for a natural replacement to the artificial colorant. Studies have shown that the color and other characteristics of the acylated anthocyanin from red radishes remained very similar to allura red for up to about six months of storage at 25 ◦C. Light degraded the color more quickly. This consequence of using pelargonidin as a coloring might require a change in the packaging used for maraschino cherries; possibly using a container impermeable to light. Refrigeration drastically slowed the rate of anthocyanin degradation (Giusti, Wrolstad. 2003).

There are also numerous health benefits found to be associated with anthocyanins. These include “enhancement of sight acuteness, antioxidant capacity, treatment of various blood circulation disorders…, vaso-protective and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibition of platelet aggregation, maintenance of normal vascular permeability, controlling diabetes, anti-neoplastic and chemo-protective agents, radiation-protective agents, and possibly others…” (Giusti, Wrolstad. 2003). This is a very impressive list of benefits that may be derived from one compound!

These advantages, once made more widely known to the public, may push the use of natural colorants such as acylated anthocyanins, in substitution for artificial colorants like FD&C Red No. 40. Trends in consumer food preferences have, over the years, been toward purchasing more natural products such as soy-based foods, so the same philosophy would most likely apply to the substances used to color foods. If a non-synthetic, more healthful alternative is available to allura red, once made aware of its existence, consumers will probably push food manufacturers to use the naturally derived colorant instead of the synthetically made FD&C Red No. 40.