Malvidin
A natural purple-red pigment from red grapes and blueberries, used to colour food and drinks. One of several anthocyanin compounds grouped together as E163.
What is it?
Malvidin is an anthocyanidin, a plant pigment in the flavonoid family. It is the compound primarily responsible for the red and purple colour of red wine grapes and is also abundant in blueberries and bilberries. In its natural form in fruit it exists as glycosides (malvidin bound to sugar molecules). As a food additive it is extracted from grape skins or other plant material and falls under the broader E163 anthocyanins approval. It is one of six anthocyanidin subtypes assigned letters (a through f) in reference literature, though in UK and EU food law all anthocyanins are authorised together under the single code E163 without separate sub-category approvals.
What does it do?
Malvidin absorbs light in the green-yellow range, producing visible red, purple, or blue hues depending on the acidity of the food. In acidic products it shows red-purple; in more neutral conditions it shifts towards blue. Like other anthocyanins, it is water-soluble and reasonably heat-stable in acidic environments, making it useful in coloured drinks, confectionery, and dairy products. It also acts as an antioxidant in the plant, scavenging free radicals, though how much of this activity persists after digestion in humans remains an open research question.
Where you will see it
Red grape skin extracts rich in malvidin are used in fruit-flavoured soft drinks, berry-flavoured yogurts, jams and fruit preparations, confectionery including sweets and jellies, ice cream, and some marbled cheeses. Blackcurrant extract (also listed as E163) contains different anthocyanins but is used in the same food categories. On a UK label, malvidin appears as part of the ingredient name 'anthocyanins', 'grape skin extract', or 'blackcurrant extract', often followed by the E number E163 in brackets.
What the science says
Regulatory assessment: no numerical ADI set because long-term data are thin
When EFSA re-evaluated E163 anthocyanins in 2013, its experts concluded the available toxicological database was not adequate to establish a numerical acceptable daily intake. Long-term studies on chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive effects were described as extremely limited. The panel noted that at current food-use levels, exposure from grape skin and blackcurrant extracts is not expected to pose a concern, but called for better characterisation and toxicological data to support a future re-evaluation. No ADI has since been set.
EFSA concluded the toxicological database for anthocyanins (E163) was inadequate to establish a numerical ADI; long-term chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive studies were extremely limited.
Exposure from current use levels of aqueous grape skin extract and blackcurrant extract was not considered of safety concern, provided additive exposure was comparable to dietary intake of anthocyanins from fruit and vegetables.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory studies
Cell and test-tube studies show that malvidin glycosides reduce markers of inflammation in human endothelial cells and lower measures of oxidative stress. In one cell study, malvidin-3-glucoside suppressed inflammatory adhesion proteins by up to around 90% at high concentrations. These are laboratory findings, and whether the amounts of malvidin that actually reach human tissues after eating are sufficient to produce similar effects in the body is not established.
Malvidin-3-glucoside and malvidin-3-galactoside inhibited TNF-alpha-induced inflammatory adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MCP-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner.
Malvidin and its glycosides demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects across multiple cell and animal studies, primarily attributed to modulation of NF-kappaB signalling and free-radical scavenging.
Cardiovascular signals from blueberry trials, but evidence is moderate quality
Randomised trials of whole blueberries, which are among the richest food sources of malvidin, show modest improvements in measures of blood vessel function. A 2024 meta-analysis of 11 trials found that blueberry intake improved flow-mediated dilation by around 1.5 percentage points, with moderate-quality evidence. The effect is attributed to the mixed anthocyanin content of blueberries rather than malvidin alone, and results show high variability between studies.
A meta-analysis of 11 randomised trials (400 participants) found blueberry intake improved flow-mediated dilation by 1.50% (95% CI: 0.81, 2.20; I-squared = 87%), rated as moderate-quality evidence.
Potential anti-cancer signals in lab and animal studies, no human trial evidence
Laboratory and animal studies show malvidin can reduce cell proliferation and promote cell death in several cancer cell lines, including leukemia, colon, gastric, liver, and breast models. Researchers have not yet run controlled human trials to test whether malvidin has any effect on cancer risk or progression in people. These findings describe what happens in cultured cells or rodents, not what happens in someone who eats malvidin-containing food.
In vitro and animal studies show malvidin reduces cell proliferation, promotes apoptosis, and suppresses metastasis in cancer cell lines including leukemia, colorectal, gastric, liver, lung, and breast models.
Authors noted that human clinical trials evaluating anticancer effects of malvidin are absent and called the compound's clinical translation at an early stage.
Low bioavailability: most reaches the colon, not the bloodstream
Human studies show anthocyanins including malvidin are poorly absorbed. After consuming red wine containing malvidin-3-glucoside, plasma concentrations peaked at around 1 to 2 nanomolar within 20 minutes, which is very low. Most of what is eaten passes to the large intestine where gut bacteria convert it into smaller phenolic acids such as syringic acid, which are then absorbed. Whether these breakdown products contribute to any health effects is an active research question.
After ingesting red wine providing 68mg malvidin-3-glucoside, plasma concentration peaked at approximately 1.38 nM at 20 minutes, indicating very low bioavailability.
Malvidin-3-glucoside is rapidly metabolised by colonic bacteria primarily to syringic acid, which is subsequently converted to gallic acid and protocatechuic acid; absorbed intact anthocyanin concentrations remain very low.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No specific group has been identified as needing to avoid E163 anthocyanins in food. Malvidin is not a declarable allergen and is not associated with sulphite sensitivity, the Southampton Six, or any hormone-disrupting classification. People with known grape or berry fruit sensitivities may wish to check whether 'anthocyanins' or 'grape skin extract' appears in the ingredients list.
The honest read
Malvidin is one of the most thoroughly researched individual anthocyanins, largely because it dominates red wine and is relatively easy to isolate. The laboratory evidence for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects is consistent, though it comes almost entirely from cell and animal studies. Human trials of whole blueberries (a rich malvidin source) show modest, real improvements in blood vessel measures, but the studies are heterogeneous and the benefits are attributed to a mixture of compounds, not malvidin alone. The biggest open question is bioavailability: so little malvidin reaches the bloodstream intact that researchers are still working out whether gut-metabolised breakdown products, rather than malvidin itself, drive any effects. EFSA's decision not to set a numerical ADI reflects genuine data gaps in long-term toxicology, not a discovered hazard. The research picture here is genuinely incomplete.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E163c banned in the UK?
No. E163c malvidin is permitted in the UK as part of the broader E163 (anthocyanins) approval. E163 is listed as a Group II colour, authorised at quantum satis, under the UK's assimilated version of EU Regulation 1333/2008. No ban or restriction applies specifically to malvidin.
Why did EFSA not set an acceptable daily intake for E163 anthocyanins?
In its 2013 re-evaluation, EFSA's Panel on Food Additives concluded that the toxicological database for E163 anthocyanins was too thin to support a numerical ADI. Long-term chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies were extremely limited. The panel noted that at current food-use levels, exposure was not expected to be of concern, but called for more data. No numerical ADI has been set since.
What foods contain E163c?
Malvidin is naturally present in red wine grapes, blueberries, bilberries, and elderberries. As an additive it reaches food via grape skin extract or anthocyanin extracts used to colour soft drinks, fruit-flavoured yogurts, jams, sweets and jellies, ice cream, and some confectionery. On the label it will appear as 'anthocyanins', 'grape skin extract', or sometimes 'E163'.
Is E163c vegan?
Yes. Malvidin and E163 anthocyanins are extracted from plant sources such as grape skins, blackcurrants, purple corn, and red cabbage. No animal-derived ingredients or processing aids are involved in the standard production routes.
Sources
- UK FSA Authorised Regulated Food and Feed Products - E163
- UK Food Standards Agency: Approved additives and E numbers
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives (ANS): Scientific Opinion on re-evaluation of anthocyanins (E163), EFSA Journal 2013;11(4):3145
- Latorres et al., Food Anthocyanins: Malvidin and Its Glycosides as Promising Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Nutrients 2023;15(13):3016
- Huang et al., Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Blueberry Anthocyanins Malvidin-3-Glucoside and Malvidin-3-Galactoside in Endothelial Cells, Molecules 2014
- Frontiers in Physiology: Effect of blueberry intervention on endothelial function: systematic review and meta-analysis, 2024
- Roriz et al., Potential anti-cancer properties of malvidin and its glycosides: evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies, Journal of Functional Foods 2024
- Bub et al., Malvidin-3-glucoside bioavailability in humans after ingestion of red wine, dealcoholized red wine and red grape juice, European Journal of Nutrition 2001
- Gonzalez-Barrio et al., Metabolism of Anthocyanins by Human Gut Microflora and Their Influence on Gut Bacterial Growth, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2012
- Wikipedia: Malvidin
- NATCOL: Anthocyanins INS 163 / E163
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