Anthocyanins of basil leaves: determination and preparation of dried encapsulated forms

The anthocyanin composition of five purple leaves cultivars of Ocimum basilicum L. was investigated by reversed-phase HPLC with mass-spectrometric detection by ESI mode with ion partial fragmentation as well as preparation of dried differently colored forms of anthocyanins encapsulated into maltodextrin
matrix. Analysis of the mass spectra revealed that according to the chromatographic profile the set of basil cultivar anthocyanins under investigation may be divided into two groups with the common feature being a
high level of acylation with (mainly) p-coumaric, ferulic and malonic acids of the same base: cyanidin-3-dihexoside-5-hexoside. The presence of acylation with substituted cinnamic acids permits us to obtain solutions not only with a red color (the property of the flavylium form) but also with blue shades of coloration due to quinonoid and negatively charged quinonoid forms. All forms except that of flavylium are not stable in solution but stable enough to prepare dried encapsulated forms by lyophilization. Although the loss of anthocyanins
with drying is not negligible, the final product is characterized with high stability for storage in a refrigerator.