E163C - Malvidin

At a glance

• What it is: a purple-red plant pigment from the anthocyanin family
• What it does: adds red to purple color in foods and drinks
• Where it comes from: typically extracted from edible plants like grape skins and certain berries
• Color note: shade changes with acidity (pH), ranging from red to blue-purple
• Typical uses: beverages, confectionery, desserts, and fruit preparations
• Regulatory status: authorized as part of anthocyanins (E163) in the EU; specific plant extracts (such as grape skin extract) are approved color additives in the U.S.

Why is Malvidin added to food?

Food makers use Malvidin to deliver or restore a natural-looking berry or grape hue. As an anthocyanin, its color shifts with acidity, so it can provide bright red tones in acidic products and deeper purple tones as pH rises, helping products look consistent with their flavor and ingredients.¹

What foods contain Malvidin?

You’re most likely to find Malvidin in foods that aim for a fruit-forward color: soft drinks and juice drinks, confectionery, jams and fruit spreads, flavored milks and yogurts, and bakery or dessert items with berry themes.¹ In the U.S., related anthocyanin color sources such as grape skin extract are approved for coloring beverages and other foods, so Malvidin-type hues commonly appear in drinks and their mixes.² On labels, look for “E163,” “anthocyanins,” “Malvidin,” or plant-specific terms such as “grape skin extract” or “fruit/vegetable juice (for color).”

What can replace Malvidin?

Depending on the target shade, formulators may switch to other approved colors:

• Other anthocyanins for similar berry hues: anthocyanins
• Warm yellow to orange: curcumin or beta-carotene
• Brown to cola-like tones: plain caramel or ammonia caramel
• Red from roots: beetroot red

The best substitute depends on pH, processing conditions, and the exact shade needed.

How is Malvidin made?

For food use, Malvidin is obtained by extracting anthocyanins from edible plants (commonly grape skins, certain berries, or black carrot) with food-grade solvents such as water or ethanol, followed by purification and standardization to a defined coloring strength.³ Chemically, Malvidin is an anthocyanidin (the core pigment); in foods it typically exists as sugar-attached forms (glycosides), such as malvidin-3-glucoside, which influence color and solubility.⁴¹

Is Malvidin safe to eat?

In the European Union, anthocyanins (E163), which include Malvidin-based pigments from edible plant sources, are authorized food colors with detailed identity and purity specifications.³ In the United States, specific anthocyanin-containing extracts (for example, grape skin extract) are listed color additives with defined conditions of use.² More broadly, both the EU and the U.S. require color additives to meet safety standards before use in foods.⁵

Does Malvidin have any benefits?

Malvidin is added to foods to provide color, not for nutrition or medical effects. While anthocyanins are plant pigments that can act as antioxidants in laboratory settings, color additives are regulated for their coloring function, and they are not approved or marketed as health supplements.⁵

Who should avoid Malvidin?

There are no specific groups that regulators single out to avoid anthocyanin colors when used as approved. If you have a medical reason to limit color additives, follow your clinician’s advice and check labels. People with allergies to particular source plants (for example, grape) should contact the manufacturer if they are concerned about the origin of the color.

Myths & facts

• “It’s an artificial dye.” Fact: Malvidin used in foods comes from edible plant sources and is part of the anthocyanin color class.³
• “It always looks the same.” Fact: Anthocyanin colors shift with pH; acidic foods look redder, while less acidic foods can look more purple or bluish.¹
• “It’s added for health benefits.” Fact: Color additives are approved for coloring only; any potential antioxidant activity is not the basis for their use in foods.⁵

Malvidin in branded foods

You’ll typically see Malvidin-type colors in fruit-flavored drinks, candies, fruit spreads, and dairy desserts. On ingredient lists, look for “E163,” “anthocyanins,” “Malvidin,” “grape skin extract,” or “fruit/vegetable juice (for color).” The exact wording can vary by region and by the plant source used.

References

Footnotes

1. Scientific Opinion on the re‑evaluation of anthocyanins (E 163) as a food additive — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). https://efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2818 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. 21 CFR 73.169 Grape skin extract — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. FDA. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.169 ↩ ↩²

3. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 — eur-lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Malvidin — PubChem, National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Malvidin ↩

5. Color Additives: FDA’s Regulatory Process and Historical Perspectives — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additive-inventories/color-additives-regulatory-process-and-historical-perspectives ↩ ↩² ↩³