Anthocyanins from say (Laurus nobilis L.) berries

Anthocyanin composition in the berries of Laurus nobilis L., a perennial tree or shrub typical of the Mediterranean region, was determined for the first time. The pigments were extracted from the berries with 0.1 % HCl in methanol, purified on a C-18 solid-phase cartridge, and characterized by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD)-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. The major anthocyanins were characterized as cyaniclin 3-O-glucoside (41%) and cyaniclin 3-O-rutinoside (53%). Furthermore, two minor anthocyanins were detected and identified as 3-O-glucoside and 3-0-rutinoside derivatives of peonidin (5%). The two major pigments were also isolated by preparative HPLC and characterized by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The attractive color and the great abundance of the plant in the south of Italy make Laurus nobilis berries a new and very good source of natural pigments.