**1. Natural versus synthetic colors**

Anthocyanins are the most important group of water-soluble compounds responsible for the colors red, purple, and blue that appear in flowers, fruits, and other plant tissues. For centuries, these compounds have been ingested by humans due to their bright colors, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, without any evident harmful effects. Anthocyanins are a good potential replacement for synthetic food colorings, particularly for those that have been banned because of their association with disease.

Anthocyanins are extracted from vegetable tissues, and the most common method is liquid-liquid extraction. However, other methods are also available, such as an alternative methodology developed by Japanese scientists who extracted these compounds by fermenting vegetable matrices.

The stability of anthocyanins in processed products has also been a topic of research, and it has been shown that certain acid anthocyanins are highly stable after the extraction. Since these compounds are antioxidants, they play an important role in reducing the risk of several human degenerative diseases.
