Guideline for extraction, qualitative, quantitative, and stability analysis of anthocyanins

Anthocyanins, as a kind of natural pigment, have a broad development prospect in the field of human production and life due to its safety, nontoxic, rich resources, and rich pharmacological effects. However, due to the structure instability of anthocyanins, anthocyanins are susceptible to physical and chemical factors during food processing, such as light, temperature, pH, metal ions, food additives, oxidation reductants, and cochromatic factors. This review summarized the experimental methods for these factors affecting anthocyanin content, structural transformation, and degradation dynamics, which lays the foundation for further studies of anthocyanins in plants. Meanwhile, we expounded the methods for obtaining accurate quantitative and qualitative data of anthocyanin by UV‐vis, HPLC, LC‐MS, and NMR, which can provide a basis for further development and utilization of anthocyanin resources.