Copigmentation is an spontaneous phenomenon where pigmentation due to anthocyanidins is reinforced by the presence of other colorless flavonoids known as cofactors or “copigments”. This occurs by the formation of a non-covalently-linked complex.[1]
An example is the bluish purple flowers of the Japanese garden iris (Iris ensata).[2] The characteristic floral jade coloration of Strongylodon macrobotrys has been shown to be an example of copigmentation, a result of the presence of malvin (the anthocyanin) and saponarin (a flavone glucoside) in the ratio 1:9.[3]
It is a phenomenon observed in the berry color of the porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa).
Part of the color of red wine can be due to the copigmentation phenomenon.[4] Copigmentation is only important during the early stages of a wine's age. Anthocyanins begin to polymerize with other wine compounds, such as hydroxycinnamic acids, tannins, glyceraldehyde or proteins, to form more complex structures with covalent C–C bonds.[5]
