Dong Yuesheng

Extraction and Purification of Anthocyanins from the Fruit Residues of Vaccinium uliginosum Linn

An aqueous two-phase system was developed to extract anthocyanins present in the fruit residue during juice production from the fruit of Vaccinium uliginosum Linn. A maximum partition coefficient of 10.67 and a recovery of 96.09% for anthocyanins could be obtained using an extraction system consisted of 30% (w/w) ethanol and 19% ammonium sulfate. Compared with the traditional extraction using acidified ethanol, the novel aqueous two-phase extraction could not only yield a much higher concentration of anthocyanins, save more ethanol, energy, and time, but also decrease impurities in extract, e.g. proteins and sugars by 58% and 66%, respectively. AB-8 macroporous resin was applied to the purification of anthocyanins. A novel and simple separation technique for anthocyanins was developed by integrating aqueous two-phase extraction and macroporous resin column chromatography. This new technology might be a suitable for other bioactive natural products on industrial scale.