Developing methods for the analysis of anthocyanins in Australian foods

Plant-based colourful foods have shown positive impacts on health. Anthocyanins are plant-based polyphenols and are partially responsible for the bright colours in fruit and vegetables, however, from the scientific perspective, it is important we know the amount and type of anthocyanins present in them. Globally, there is a substantial gap in the anthocyanin analytical values in food composition databases (FCD): resources that provide detailed analytical values of the nutritional components of foods. Despite their importance to health, we do not have a consistent analytical method to study anthocyanins. Besides, anthocyanins have several complexities including their complex structures and high sensitivity. They also possess natural variation in the amount and types of anthocyanins in the same types of fruit and vegetables. A number of these issues affect anthocyanin analytical method development processes. It is, therefore, important to understand the analytical methods needed for various food components. The primary aim of this thesis was to find a method(s) to measure the anthocyanin content in Australian fruit and vegetables.