Production and optimization of anthocyanin-rich food colorant extracted from prunus nepalensis L. (Sohiong)

Purpose An upsurge in health and environmental concerns over the use of synthetic color has made the development of color from cheap and easily available natural sources, namely, plants, animals, micro-organisms and algae as indispensable. This study aims to extract anthocyanins, an important natural plant pigments, from Sohiong (Prunus nepalensis). This study demonstrated that Sohiong have high anthocyanins content and antioxidant property, indicating an immense potential for the fruit producers and food processors. Design/methodology/approach Response surface methodology was used to optimize the conditions for extraction of anthocyanins from Sohiong using conventional solvent extraction. Findings The optimum conditions for extraction were found to be 36.75°C temperature, 60.32 per cent ethanol concentration and 2.39 per cent citric acid concentration with recovery of 45 per cent total extract yield, 858.84 mg C3G/100g DM anthocyanin content and 824.91 mg GAE/100g DM phenolic content with in-vitro antioxidant activity of 31.40 mmol AEAC/100g DM for FRAP and 84.66 per cent DPPH scavenging capacity (20mg/ml). The F-values and high values of adjusted determination coefficient for each response imply high level of significance of the fitted models. Practical implications Extracted color can be used in food and pharmaceutical industries. Social implications Pigment extracted is from a natural source and possesses high antioxidative activity and potential health benefits. With increasing demand for natural colors and other additives, there is a wide range of applications of the pigment as natural colorant in the food and pharmaceutical sector. Originality/value Selected plant source, i.e. Sohiong, was not used earlier by any researcher to extract anthocyanins for potential applications as food colorant.