Delphinidin (also delphinidine) is an

anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the sugar-free counterparts of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from red through ...

, a primary plant pigment, and also an antioxidant. Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers in the genera ''Viola'' and ''

Delphinium ''Delphinium'' is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The genus was erected by Carl Linn ...

''. It also gives the blue-red color of the

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

that produces Cabernet Sauvignon, and can be found in

cranberries Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

and Concord grapes as well as

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

s, and

bilberries Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus '' Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrti ...

. Delphinidin, like nearly all other anthocyanidins, is pH-sensitive, i.e. a natural pH indicator, and changes from blue in basic solution to red in acidic solution.

Glycosides

Several

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycoside ...

s derived from delphinidin are known: * Myrtillin (delphinidin-3-''O''-glucoside) and tulipanin (delphinidin-3-''O''-rutinoside) can be found in blackcurrant pomace. * Violdelphin (delphinidin 3-rutinoside-7-''O''-(6-''O''-(4-(6-''O''-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-β-D-glucosyl)oxybenzoyl)-β-D-glucoside) is responsible for the purplish-blue flower color of '' Aconitum chinense''. * Nasunin (delphinidin-3-(''p''-coumaroylrutinoside)-5-glucoside) is responsible for the colour of the eggplant fruit's purple skin. *s including ''Clitoria ternatea'' ternatins

References

{{Anthocyanins Anthocyanidins

Glycosides

See also

References