Binding Capacity of Chitin and Chitosan to Anthocyanin Pigment Isolated from Purple Perilla Leaves

The binding capacity of chitin and chitosan to anthocyanin pigmentss isolated from purple perilla leaves was inves-tigated. The pigment binding capacity increased with increasing pigment concentrations and decreasing pH without being affected by reaction temperature and particle sizes. Regression analysis revealed significantly high corre-lations between pigment binding capacity of chitin and chitosan and pigment concentration at ranges of 25-100 mg of pigment/g of sample, After 1 hr settling, release of pigment from pigmented chitin and chitosan increased with increasing pH, up to 24.9% and 17.4%, respectively, at pH 9. In general, pigment binding capacity of chitosan was higher than that of chitin. There results suggest that chitosan may be useful as a potential adsorbent capable of stabilizing anthocyanin pigment.