Degradation of cyanidin 3-glucoside by caffeic acid o-quinone. Determination of the stoichiometry and characterization of the degradation products.

Caffeic acid o-quinone (CQ) was prepared by oxidation of caffeic acid with o-chloranil in organic media. The reaction between the purified CQ and cyanidin 3-glucoside (Cy 3-glc, o-diphenolic anthocyanin) was monitored by HPLC, and quantitative analyses were performed to establish the stoichiometry of the reaction. The results indicate that Cy 3-glc is degraded by a coupled oxidation mechanism with integration of CQ into the degradation products. The ratio of degraded Cy 3-glc to CQ incorporated into the condensation products was approximately 2.0. No brown products could be detected, only a slight orange color. Moreover, the addition of purified polyphenol oxidase to the slightly colored media resulted in the disappearance of the caffeic acid formed from the reaction of coupled oxidation (Cy 3-glc/CQ) and the formation of brown polymers. The degradation products were isolated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-25. The UV-vis spectra and chemical analysis (acidic hydrolysis) of the degradation products suggest that they resulted from the condensation of caffeic acid and Cy 3-glc. HPLC analysis showed that the partial purified fraction contained a mixture of complex condensation products.