Enhanced Stability of Extracted Sour Cherry Anthocyanins Copigmented With Tannic Acid and Encapsulated by Spray Drying

Anthocyanins are valuable natural colorants but are inherently unstable when exposed to external factors. This study aimed to enhance the stability of sour cherry anthocyanins through copigmentation with tannic acid (TA) at a ratio of 1:0.25 (anthocyanin:TA), followed by encapsulation using maltodextrin (MD) or a combination of MD and Arabic gum (AG) in a 90:10 (w/w) ratio via spray drying. The resulting powders exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (97.27%-98.92%), low water activity, and excellent solubility (> 99.98%). Among the treatments, the copigmented anthocyanin powder encapsulated with the MD-AG mixture showed significantly higher <i>a*</i> and chroma values, indicating a more intense red coloration. After 28 days of storage under three different conditions, the copigmented samples retained significantly more anthocyanin compared to noncopigmented samples. In model beverages, color stability remained consistent over 49 days of storage for both the encapsulated powders and the controls (anthocyanin extracts with or without TA). In conclusion, copigmentation with TA combined with encapsulation using MD-AG wall materials presents an effective strategy for enhancing the stability and color retention of sour cherry anthocyanins.