Exploring and exploiting anthocyanins for human needs: potato as a research case study

Anthocyanins are a group of polyphenolic water-soluble pigments, largely distributed in the plant kingdom. Being natural pigments with a health-promoting bioactivity, there is an increasing interest for their application in food and drugs industry. The increasing in anthocyanins production is an enticing achievement of industries. In the first part of this review, we highlight key concepts related to the biochemistry, biological function and genetics of these important pigments in the potato. We chose this crop because it displays a valuable anthocyanin chemical diversity and it is also highly amenable to various biotechnological applications. In this latter regard, we present and briefly discuss the potential of cell cultures as a suitable method for the production of highly decorated anthocyanins. The final message of this review is to underline the impact of bio-factories as a customizable and sustainable strategy for anthocyanin production and their high potential in industrial and medical applications.