An overview of the extraction methods of anthocyanins from local African roselle and their use as potential functional foods and food additives colorants

Authors

  • Bassirou Ndoye
  • Bédié Mbow
  • Papa Guedel Faye
  • Cheikhou Kane
  • Mady Cissé
  • Nicolas Ayessou

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31989/afbc.v2i1.1545

Abstract

This review describes the summary of studies related to anthocyanins extracted from a Senegalese Hibiscus sabdariffa plant. In sub-Saharan Africa, dried H. sabdariffa is often used to prepare a beverage juice that provides diverse health benefits. Many studies have already shown its advantages as a prebiotic compound that could be added or mixed with other food ingredients. It is sold worldwide in the form of either freeze-dried and spray-dried powder or raw-dried roselle leaf. Anthocyanins of H. sabdariffa are placed in the internal part of the roselle calyx and, therefore, need efficient extraction tools based on temperature, pressure, and flow rate to recover the highest possible concentration. 

        Scientific paper searches were conducted using a combination of the following keywords: “roselle”, “Hibiscus sabdariffa”, “anthocyanins”, “extraction methods”, “food additives”, and “stabilization”, by order of preference in Web of Science, Scopus, Scimago, PubMed, Science direct, Functional Food Science Publisher (https://www.ffhdj.com), research4life, Google Scholar and Google. Inclusion criteria were generally studies written either in English or French. 

In this regard, we develop here an overview of studies related to the extraction methods and chemical characterization of anthocyanins to optimize their concentration and stabilization from the roselle. Their potential use as functional foods and food additive colorants will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to their possible role as functional foods in human gut microbiota as highlighted by recent studies for other anthocyanins extracted from cranberries, for instance. Anthocyanins contained in roselle calyx can be better used as both bioactive compounds and functional foods that are healthy ingredients. However, further research is needed to better optimize their extraction and provide scientific and clinical evidence of their role in human gut microbiota.

Novelty: This review summarizes the current most used methods of extraction, concentration, purification and stabilization of anthocyanins from African roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). However, most of them are employed at a laboratory scale in Africa with low productivity yield. In addition, most of the roselle calices benefits are focused on beverage and coloring additives. This paper brings a new orientation on recovering the highest possible concentration of roselle anthocyanins and their health benefits on human gut microbiota, which are assumed to be functional foods and/or bioactive compounds.  

Keywords: Anthocyanins, Roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa L., extraction, stabilization, functional foods, food additives, bioactive compounds.

Published

2025-02-01

Issue

Section

Review Articles