Canna indica flower: New source of anthocyanins.

In this study the red flowers of Canna indica (Cannaceae) were extracted by using sonicator and isolation of anthocyanins have been carried out. Four anthocyanin pigments have been isolated apart from quercetin and lycopene. They are Cyanidin-3-O-(6''-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-glucopyranoside (1), Cyanidin-3-O-(6''-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-galactopyranoside (2), Cyanidin-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (3) and Cyanidin-O-β-galactopyranoside (4). These compounds were isolated by using HPLC and their structures were subsequently determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, i.e., (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, HMQC, HMBC, ESI-MS, FTIR, UV-Visible etc. The isolated compounds showed good antioxidant activity thus makes it suitable for use in food coloration and as a nutraceutical. Thus it is a promising pigment source for food applications.