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Interest in the processing and application of natural anthocyanin pigments is intensifying. In this work, we developed a protocol for obtaining anthocyanins from wild Asian bird berries (Prunus nepalensis L.) using ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) and response surface methodology. The chemical profile, antioxidant activity, and co‐pigmentation of the anthocyanin extract were also investigated. The results showed that the maximum anthocyanin yield was achieved under optimal conditions of 60°C, 300 W ultrasonic power, and 30 min ultrasonic time. Using UHPLC‐ESI‐MS2 analysis, two major anthocyanins and 19 other phenolics were identified in the anthocyanin extract, which displayed significant antioxidant potential in vitro. In addition, the color stability of the anthocyanin extract was thermodynamically improved by phenolic acids and organic acids where oxalic acid was the most effective co‐pigment. These results revealed that Asian bird berries anthocyanins could be effectively recovered by UAE, and further stabilized by co‐pigments. Novelty impact statement The chemical instability of anthocyanins poses a significant challenge for their preparation and implementation as food colorants. In this study, the anthocyanins obtained from P. nepalensis L. fruits were modulated, for the first time, with the help of co‐pigments such as oxalic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, and pyrogallic acid. These results could open up the possibility of large‐scale applications of anthocyanins sourced from many uncultivated plants.

This study systematically explored the copigmentation effects of lignan extracts, lignan eluent fractions, and individual lignans from Schisandra sphenathera and Schisandra chinensis fruits on the anthocyanins enriched with petunidin-3-O-glucoside. The results showed that two ethanol extracts contained higher levels of lignans and were more effective in copigmentation reactions than their water counterparts. The isolation of ethanol extracts on macroporous resin rendered a large proportion of lignans enriched in 95% EtOH eluent fractions, one of which from S. sphenathera exhibited the strongest ability to stabilize the color. Meanwhile, correlational analyses suggested that six lignans, namely, schisandrol A, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, schisantherin B, schisandrin A, and schisandrin B, were the major active copigments that thermodynamically stabilize the target anthocyanins, with schisandrin B being the best one. Moreover, the structure–function relationships of these compounds revealed that the biaryl backbone was essential for copigmentation, which can be enhanced by the aromatic methylenedioxy groups.

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