RESUMO
Four anthocyanins were isolated from a highly pigmented callus induced from the storage root of purple-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) cultivar Ayamurasaki. The anthocyanins were respectively identified as cyanidin 3- $O$ -(2- $O$ -(6- $O$ -( $E$ )-caffeoyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranosyl)- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside)-5- $O$ - $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside, cyanidin 3- $O$ -(2- $O$ -(6- $O$ -( $E$ )- $p$ -coumaroyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranosyl)-6- $O$ -( $E$ )-caffeoyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside)-5- $O$ - $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside, cyanidin 3- $O$ -(2- $O$ -(6- $O$ -( $E$ )- $p$ -coumaroyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranosyl)-6- $O$ -( $E$ )- $p$ -coumaroyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside)-5- $O$ - $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside, and peonidin 3- $O$ -(2- $O$ -(6- $O$ -( $E$ )- $p$ -coumaroyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranosyl)-6- $O$ -( $E$ )- $p$ -coumaroyl- $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside)-5- $O$ - $\beta$ -D-glucopyranoside by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. These anthocyanins were examined with respect to the stability in neutral aqueous solution as well as the radical scavenging activity against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. These acylated anthocyanins exhibited both higher stability and higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than corresponding nonacylated cyanidin and peonidin 3- $O$ -sophoroside-5- $O$ -glucosides.
