Anthocyanin

Description

Natural organic coloring compounds that occur in many seeds and flowers such as myrtle berries, blackberries, peonies, delphinium, petunia, and elderberry. Anthocyanins are water soluble glycosides and are usually red, blue, or violet in color. Examples of some anthocyanins are: pelargonidin, cyanidin, peonidin, delphinidin, petunidin, malvidin (Wallert 1993). These compounds do not form stable insoluble lake pigments.

Synonyms and Related Terms

pelargonidin; cyanidin; peonidin; delphinidin; petunidin; malvidin

Resources and Citations

• A.Wallert, "Natural Organic Colorants on Mediaeval Parchments: Anthocyanins" ICOM Preprints, Washington DC, 1993, pp. 516-523.

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000