Abstract
Anthocyanins make up the largest group of water-soluble pigments of the vegetable kingdom. These bio-compounds with antioxidant properties are attracting great interest in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry mainly because of their presence in many fruits and vegetables. The extraction of the pigment is still in need of further studies, especially concerning the extraction yield and the use of friendly solvents. The use of acidulants has shown an alternative to improve the extraction. This work presents the capability of pure solvents and binary mixtures associated with organic acids in the extraction of anthocyanins present in jabuticaba fruit skins and red cabbage leaves. The results suggest that the application of organic acids dissolved in binary mixtures formed by water and ethanol can provide an increase in the extraction of anthocyanins.