Myrtillin is an

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

. It is the 3-

glucoside A glucoside is a glycoside that is derived from glucose. Glucosides are common in plants, but rare in animals. Glucose is produced when a glucoside is hydrolysed by purely chemical means, or decomposed by fermentation or enzymes. The name was o ...

delphinidin Delphinidin (also delphinidine) is an anthocyanidin, a primary plant pigment, and also an antioxidant. Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers in the genera ''Viola'' and ''Delphinium''. It also gives the blue-red color of the grape that produces ...

. It can be found in all green plants, most abundantly in

blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

huckleberry Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in the family Ericaceae, in two closely related genera: ''Vaccinium'' and ''Gaylussacia''. The huckleberry is the state fruit of Idaho. Nomenclature The name 'huckleberry' is a Nort ...

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrtillus ...

leaves and in various myrtles, roselle plants, and ''

Centella asiatica ''Centella asiatica'', commonly known as gotu kola, kodavan, Indian pennywort and Asiatic pennywort, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and isla ...

'' plant. It is also present in

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

and

oatmeal Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground) or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are ...

. The

sumac Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...

fruit's pericarp owes its dark red colour to anthocyanin pigments, of which chrysanthemin, myrtillin and delphinidin have yet been identified. The various colors, such as red, mauve, purple, violet, and blue in ''

Hydrangea macrophylla ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to Japan. It is a deciduous shrub growing to tall by broad with large heads of pink or blue flowers in summer and autumn. Common names include biglea ...

'' are developed from myrtillin complexes with metal ions called

metalloanthocyanin A metalloanthocyanin is a chemical complex giving color to petals of certain plants. These complexes are self-assembled, supramolecular metal complex pigment composed of stoichiometric amounts of anthocyanins, flavones, and metal ions. The vario ...

Metabolism

The enzyme

anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside 6''-O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase Anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside 6″-O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase is an enzyme forming delphinidin 3-(6-''p''-coumaroyl)glucoside from delphinidin 3-''O''-glucoside (myrtillin) and ''p''-coumaroyl-CoA. It is an enzyme in the anthocyanin biosynthesi ...

produces

delphinidin 3-(6-p-coumaroyl)glucoside Delphinidin 3-''O''-(6-''p''-coumaroyl)glucoside is a ''p''-coumaroylated anthocyanin. It can be found in some red ''Vitis vinifera'' grape cultivars (like Graciano) and in red wine. It is formed by the enzyme anthocyanin 3-''O''-glucoside 6� ...

from myrtillin and ''p''-

coumaroyl-CoA Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is the thioester of coenzyme-A and coumaric acid. Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is a central intermediate in the biosynthesis of myriad natural products found in plants. These products include lignols (precursors to lignin and lign ...

in the

anthocyanin biosynthesis Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

pathway.

References

{{Anthocyanins Anthocyanidins Flavonoid glucosides