Improved thermal stability of roselle anthocyanin by co-pigmented with oxalic acid: Preparation, characterization and enhancement mechanism

The enhancement effects of co-pigmentation on thermal stability of roselle anthocyanin extract (RAE) were investigated. The introduction of organic acids maintained color stability of RAE, and RAE co-pigmented with oxalic acid (OA) presented less color fading rates (19.46 ± 0.33 %) and higher redness (41.33 ± 3.51). Subsequently, suitable co-pigmentation concentration (OA:RAE = 1:2) was obtained regarding with lower ΔE (48.70 ± 2.36). Then, improvement behaviors of co-pigmentation on OA-RAE were evaluated. Results demonstrated that OA-RAE exhibited better thermal stability, as manifested by larger retention rates and more favorable thermal degradation kinetic parameters. Furthermore, both molecular docking simulation and experimental structural characterization revealed that hydrogen bonds and other non-covalent bonds made up the main parts of molecular interactions, leading to formation of stable binary complex. As a result, the aromatic ring of RAE was protected. In conclusion, the co-pigmentation of RAE via introduction of OA was effective in stability enhancement due to the generation of molecular bindings.