11th International Workshop on Anthocyanins and Betalains (IWA&B 2024)

The 11th International Workshop on Anthocyanins and Betalains (IWA&B 2024) will be held at the University of Leeds from 17-19 September 2024. This will be the first time the conference has been held in the United Kingdom and presents a unique opportunity to meet and discuss with colleagues from all over the world, get updated on the newest developments and insights in the colourful world of anthocyanins and betalains.

The programme will cover the subject of anthocyanins and betalains in the following areas:
– BIOSYNTHESIS and GENETICS
– ECOLOGY, FUNCTION and EVOLUTION
– HEALTH and NUTRITION
– PHYTOCHEMISTRY and ANALYSIS
– APPLICATION in FOOD and INDUSTRY

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
• Professor Victor de Freitas, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Porto, Portugal
“Anthocyanin pigments: inspiration from nature’s chemistry lab”
• Dr. Anna-Katharine Mansfield, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, USA
“A Wine of a Different Color: Sensory Effects and Consumer Perception of Non-traditional Grape Wines”
• Professor Samuel Brockington, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
“A tale of two pigments: the evolution of betalains and their mutual exclusion with anthocyanins”
• Dr Stefan Martens, Research and Innovation Center, Area Food and Nutrition, Edmund Mach Foundation, Italy
“Anthocyanidin synthase – a critical and promiscuous step in pigment biosynthesis”
• Professor Yuanwen Teng, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, China
“Research progress on the regulation mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis in pear fruit”
• Dr Christine Bösch, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK
“Contribution of betalain pigments to health and gut health – evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies”
• Dr Iva Fernandes, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Porto, Portugal
“Charting New Frontiers for skin Healthcare – Unveiling the Colour and Bioactivity of Anthocyanin and related Structures”

Anthocyanins are well known for their great diversity of colours, spanning practically the whole visible spectrum, from orange and red through to purple and blue hues. Due to their wide distribution in nature and structural diversity they have hit headlines and are linked to a range of health benefits and diverse functions in plants. Over the years, the scientific community has been focusing on these amazing molecules trying to understand their biosynthesis, properties, bioactivities and biological relevance, and possible applications. Given their relative abundance in the diet and their chemical and biological versatility, they represent a rich source of health promoting properties and only now are we truly beginning to understand how their absorption might relate to bioactivity. Similarly, novel anthocyanin-enriching techniques are opening new opportunities for several applications in various industry sectors for manufacturing food and non-food products including their potential use as food additives, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Since the year 2000, the International Workshop on Anthocyanins (IWA) has been the major bi-annual focus for cutting edge anthocyanin research dissemination and organised in collaboration with Groupe Polyphenols (https://www.groupepolyphenols.com/). Following on from the successful introduction of betalains at IWA2019 conference, they are fully included in IWA&B 2024. Betalains are a class of red and yellow pigments found in specific plants where they replace anthocyanins. The particular shades of red to purple are distinctive and unlike that of anthocyanin pigments. Betalains include reddish to violet betacyanins and yellow to orange betaxanthins.