Identification and analysis of anthocyanin components in fruit color variation in Schisandra chinensis

BACKGROUND: Fruit color is an important index and parameter for measuring fruit quality. As an important pigment, anthocyanin is a determinant which appears in all sorts of colors of fruits in nature. RESULTS: Color parameters were measured using a spectrometer and used as a basis to divide the materials into three groups: reddish-orange, orange and yellow. A validated high-performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometricmethod was used for the analysis of anthocyanin in Schisandra chinensis and for determiningmajor anthocyanin components in S. chinensis fruits, i. e. cyanidin xylosyl-glucoside (CyXylGlu), cyanidin glucosyl-rutinoside (CyGluRutin), cyanidin rutinoside (CyRutin) and cyanidin xylosyl-rutinoside (CyXylRutin). The anthocyanin contents vary obviously in different colored fruits in S. chinensis. The impact of anthocyanin on coloration of fruitswas investigated by multiple regression analysis between color parameters and anthocyanin components, which indicated that CyRutin is the primary cause of fruit color variation in S. chinensis. CONCLUSION: The content and type of anthocyanin determine fruit coloration in S. chinensis, laying the early foundations for systematically interpreting themechanism of fruit coloration in S. chinensis. (C) 2015 Society of Chemical Industry