Potential of Anthocyanins as Natural Colorants for Printing Inks: A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32734/jcnar.v8i1.26944Keywords:
Anthocyanins, Natural Colorants, Printing Ink, Color Stability, Sustainable PrintingAbstract
Anthocyanins are natural pigments belonging to the flavonoid group that exhibit red, purple, and blue colors and have potential as natural colorants for printing inks. The development of bio-based colorants is one approach to supporting the use of more sustainable materials in printing technology. This article reviews the potential of anthocyanins as natural colorants for printing inks based on their chemical characteristics, color properties, stability, and factors affecting their application in printing systems. A structured literature review was conducted with priority given to publications from 2020-2026 related to anthocyanins, color stability, inks, printing processes, and ink substrate interactions. The review indicates that molecular structure and environmental conditions strongly determine anthocyanin color characteristics. Changes in pH, temperature, light exposure, and oxygen can induce structural transformations and degradation that affect color stability. Experimental evidence shows that anthocyanin rich extracts have been formulated into inks for screen printing, indicator inks, and functional printing systems. Interactions with ink formulations and substrates, including materials containing calcium carbonate, may also alter printed color. Strategies such as pH control, selection of more stable anthocyanins, and copigmentation may improve performance. Anthocyanins therefore show promise as natural printing ink colorants, although formulation optimization and print color durability assessment are still required before broader application.
Downloads
References
[1] Dimic-Misic K, Imani M, Gane PAC. Natural plant dye inks set new challenges: analysing the interaction of anthocyanin-rich dye with modern calcium carbonate containing substrates. J Print Media Technol Res. 2025;13(3):145-159. doi:10.14622/JPMTR-2412.
[2] Xue H, Zhao J, Wang Y, Shi Z, Xie K, Liao X, Tan J. Factors affecting the stability of anthocyanins and strategies for improving their stability: A review. Food Chem X. 2024;24:101883. doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101883.
[3] Qi Q, Chu M, Yu X, Xie Y, Li Y, Du Y, Liu X, Zhang Z, Shi J, Yan N. Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins: Chemical structures, food sources, bioactivities, and product development. Food Rev Int. 2023;39(7):4581-4609. doi:10.1080/87559129.2022.2029479.
[4] Wang J, Zhao Y, Sun B, Yang Y, Wang S, Feng Z, Li J. The structure of anthocyanins and the copigmentation by common micromolecular copigments: A review. Food Res Int. 2024;176:113837. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113837.
[5] Enaru B, Drețcanu G, Pop TD, Stănilă A, Diaconeasa Z. Anthocyanins: Factors affecting their stability and degradation. Antioxidants. 2021;10(12):1967. doi:10.3390/antiox10121967.
[6] Koss-Mikolajczyk I, Bartoszek A. Relationship between chemical structure and biological activity evaluated in vitro for six anthocyanidins most commonly occurring in edible plants. Molecules. 2023;28(16):6156. doi:10.3390/molecules28166156.
[7] Klancnik M, Koradin E. Extraction of anthocyanin dye from staghorn sumac fruit in various solvents and use for pigment printing. Coatings. 2024;14(8):1025. doi:10.3390/coatings14081025.
[8] Hu H, Chen J, Lin C, Sun H, Chen Y. Characterization of edible pH-responsive ink based on carboxymethyl chitosan and purple potato anthocyanin/curcumin for monitoring pork freshness. Packag Technol Sci. 2025;38(3):227-239. doi:10.1002/pts.2867.
[9] Tan G, Hou J, Meng D, Zhang H, Han X, Li H, Wang Z, Ghamry M, Rayan AM. 3D printing cassava starch-ovalbumin intelligent labels: Co-pigmentation effects of gallic acid on anthocyanins. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024;281(Pt 2):135684. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135684.
[10] Aldawsari AM, Alkhathami ND, Al-Bonayan AM, Alessa H, Alkhamis KM, Abumelha HM, El-Metwaly NM. Preparation of novel authentication film by screen printing of anthocyanin biomolecular extract: Thermochromism and vapochromism. Luminescence. 2023;38(5):613-624. doi:10.1002/bio.4487.
[11] Mohd Basri MS, Ren BLM, Talib RA, Zakaria R, Kamarudin SH. Novel mangosteen-leaves-based marker ink: Color lightness, viscosity, optimized composition, and microstructural analysis. Polymers. 2021;13(10):1581. doi:10.3390/polym13101581.
[12] Mattioli R, Francioso A, Mosca L, Silva P. Anthocyanins: A comprehensive review of their chemical properties and health effects on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Molecules. 2020;25(17):3809. doi:10.3390/molecules25173809.
[13] Alizadeh Sani M, Mohammadian E, Rhim JW, Jafari SM. pH-sensitive (halochromic) smart packaging films based on natural food colorants for the monitoring of food quality and safety. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2020;105:93-144. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2020.08.014.
[14] Almasi H, Forghani S, Moradi M. Recent advances on intelligent food freshness indicators; an update on natural colorants and methods of preparation. Food Packag Shelf Life. 2022;32:100839. doi:10.1016/j.fpsl.2022.100839.
[15] Fu Z, Zhang Y, Wang X, et al. Recent development of carrier materials in anthocyanins encapsulation applications: A comprehensive literature review. Food Chem. 2024;439:138104. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138104.
[16] Ijod G, Mohamed Nawawi NI, Anwar F, Mohd Adzahan N, Azman EM. Recent microencapsulation trends for enhancing the stability and functionality of anthocyanins: A review. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2024;33(12):2673-2698. doi:10.1007/s10068-024-01603-2.
[17] Guo C, Li Y, Zhang H, Zhang Q, Wu X, Wang Y, Sun F, Shi S, Xia X. A review on improving the sensitivity and color stability of naturally sourced pH-sensitive indicator films. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2024;23(4):e13390. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.13390.
[18] Ke F, Liu D, Qin J, Yang M. Functional pH-sensitive film containing purple sweet potato anthocyanins for pork freshness monitoring and cherry preservation. Foods. 2024;13(5):736. doi:10.3390/foods13050736.
[19] Yue R, Zhang Y, Liu J, Sun J. Preparation of steamed purple sweet potato-based films containing mandarin essential oil for smart packaging. Molecules. 2024;29(10):2314. doi:10.3390/molecules29102314.
[20] Dong S, Zhang Y, Lu D, Gao W, Zhao Q, Shi X. Multifunctional intelligent film integrated with purple sweet potato anthocyanin and quercetin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for monitoring and maintaining freshness of shrimp. Food Packag Shelf Life. 2023;35:101022.
[21] Yong H, Liu J. Recent advances in the preparation, physical and functional properties, and applications of anthocyanins-based active and intelligent packaging films. Food Packag Shelf Life. 2020;26:100550. doi:10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100550.
[22] Chen C, Zhang M, Mujumdar AS, Phuhongsung P. Investigation of 4D printing of lotus root-compound pigment gel: Effect of pH on rapid colour change. Food Res Int. 2021;148:110630. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110630.
[23] Ke F, Yang M, Ji W, Liu D, et al. Functional pH-sensitive film based on pectin and whey protein for grape preservation and shrimp freshness monitoring. Food Chem. 2025;463:141092.
[24] Hakim L, Deshmukh RK, Lee YS, Gaikwad KK. Edible ink for food printing and packaging applications: A review. Sustain Food Technol. 2024;2(4):876-892. doi:10.1039/D4FB00036F.
[25] Huang X, Zhang K, Li Z, Zhang J, Zhai X, Zhang N, Du L, Qin Z. Exploring the integration of anthocyanins with functional materials in smart food packaging: From stabilization to application. Foods. 2025;14(16):2896. doi:10.3390/foods14162896.
[26] Yan S, Li Y. Guideline for extraction, qualitative, quantitative, and stability analysis of anthocyanins. eFood. 2023;4(1):e59. doi:10.1002/efd2.59.
[27] Singh MC, Kelso C, Price WE, Probst Y. Validated liquid chromatography separation methods for identification and quantification of anthocyanins in fruit and vegetables: A systematic review. Food Res Int. 2020;138(Pt A):109754. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109754.
[28] Avula B, Katragunta K, Osman AG, Ali Z, Adams SJ, Chittiboyina AG, Khan IA. Advances in the chemistry, analysis and adulteration of anthocyanin rich-berries and fruits: 2000–2022. Molecules. 2023;28(2):560. doi:10.3390/molecules28020560.
[29] Custodio Mendoza JA, Aktaş H, Zalewska M, Wyrwisz J, Kurek MA. A review of quantitative and topical analysis of anthocyanins in food. Molecules. 2024;29(8):1735. doi:10.3390/molecules29081735.
[30] Chandra A, Rana J, Li Y. Separation, identification, quantification, and method validation of anthocyanins in botanical supplement raw materials by HPLC and HPLC-MS. J Agric Food Chem. 2001;49(8):3515–3521. doi:10.1021/jf010389p.
[31] Hong KH. Functionalization of cotton textiles via screen printing of Aronia melanocarpa berry extract–chitosan mixtures. J Nat Fibers. 2024;21(1):2424930. doi:10.1080/15440478.2024.2424930.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Chemical Natural Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
