Delphinidin

Delphinidin is one of the anthocyanidins, the pigment family behind blue and purple hues in foods, often present as a glycoside in many fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, blackcurrants, grapes and eggplant skins owe their deep colour to it. Like its relatives, its shade shifts with pH and it brings antioxidant activity to the diet. Processors prize delphinidin-rich extracts as natural colourants, though heat, light and oxygen fade them. Gentle handling and smart breeding help preserve these pigments, since vivid colour signals freshness to shoppers.