This study determined the fate of deoxyanthocyanidins in sorghum sourdoughs. Sourdoughs prepared from the red sorghum variety Town were fermented with the caffeic acid-decarboxylating strains Lactobacillus plantarum FUA3171 and the decarboxylase negative L. casei FUA3166. Deoxyanthocyanidins were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Apigeninidin and methoxyapigeninidin were the major deoxyanthocyanidins prior to fermentation. During fermentation, novel deoxyanthocyanidins were formed. Purification by preparative LC, followed by NMR analysis and high-resolution MS identified two of the compounds as 6-deoxyanthocyanidin-vinylphenol and pyrano-3-deoxyanthocyanidin. To identify pathways for their formation, sorghum was fermented with single strains, L. plantarum or L. casei. 6-Deoxyanthocyanidin-vinylphenol and pyrano-3-deoxyanthocyanidin were formed only during fermentation with L. plantarum FUA3171, indicating a role of vinylphenol in their formation. Chemical synthesis confirmed that 6-deoxyanthocyanidin-vinylphenol and pyrano-3-deoxyanthocyanidin are formed from apigeninidin with vinylphenol but not with p-coumaric acid as reactants. In conclusion, the products of microbial decarboxylation of hydroxycinnamic acids convert apigeninidin and methoxyapigeninidin to pyrano-3-deoxyanthocyanidins and vinylphenol adducts.
