ANTHOCYANINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE RED, PURPLE, AND BLUE PIGMENTATION OF FRUIT. UNFORTUNATELY, RETAINING ANTHOCYANINS IN FRUIT DURING FOOD PROCESSING HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TASK SINCE ANTHOCYANINS ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO PROCESSING CONDITIONS, SUCH AS HIGH TEMPERATURE AND EXPOSURE TO OXYGEN. IN ADDITION, ANTHOCYANINS ARE HIGHLY WATER-SOLUBLE, MAKING RETENTION OF THE PIGMENTS ON FRUIT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. IT HAS LONG BEEN A MAJOR TECHNICAL BARRIER IN THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY FOR RETAINING ATTRACTIVE RED TO PURPLE ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS IN PROCESSED FRUIT. ONE EXAMPLE IS THE MANUFACTURE OF MARASCHINO CHERRIES, WHERE THE RED PIGMENTS OF CHERRIES ARE BLEACHED IN THE SULFITE BRINING PROCESS, AND SUBSEQUENTLY COLORED WITH ARTIFICIAL RED COLORANT TO CREATE PRODUCT WITH THE DESIRED APPEARANCE. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE CANNED BLUEBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES AND CHERRIES, WHERE THE NATURAL FRUIT PIGMENTS LEACH INTO FILLING SYRUP RESULTING IN FADED FRUIT COLOR. THERE ARE MANY OTHER EXAMPLES WHERE ANTHOCYANIN DEGRADATION HAS LIMITED FRUIT PROCESSING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. MEANWHILE, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT MANY HEALTH PROMOTION COMPOUNDS ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE COLORFUL SKINS OF FRUIT, THUS RETAINING OWN ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS IN PROCESSED FRUIT IS NUTRITIONALLY BENEFICIAL TO CONSUMERS AS WELL AS BEING MORE APPEALING AND ATTRACTIVE. THE NUTRITIONAL AND AESTHETIC REASONS HAVE INCREASED THE DEMAND TO INVESTIGATE THE SCIENCE AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGIES TO STABILIZE RED TO PURPLE ANTHOCYANINS ON PROCESSED WHOLE FRUIT.DRIVEN BY THE DEMANDS FOR 1) INNOVATIVE VALUE-ADDED FRUIT PRODUCTS WITH ATTRACTIVE NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY QUALITIES; 2) DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL COLORANTS AND WHOLE FOODS; AND 3) USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR PRODUCT STABILIZATION, THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO CREATE HIGH VALUE, HEALTH PROMOTING FRUIT PRODUCTS BY STABILIZING NATIVE RED TO PURPLE ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS IN PROCESSED WHOLE FRUIT. BUILDING UPON OUR EXTENSIVE PREVIOUS FINDINGS, WE PROPOSE SEVERALPOSSIBLE MECHANISMS TO PROTECT ANTHOCYANINS IN PROCESSED WHOLE FRUIT FROM DEGRADATION AND LEACHING, INCLUDING 1) USE OF COMBINED APPROACHES OF ANTHOCYANIN CO-PIGMENTATION TO FORM SUPRA-MOLECULAR PIGMENTS AND ENHANCEMENT OF ANTHOCYANIN INTERACTION WITH STABILIZED CELL WALL STRUCTURES TO FORM STABLE MACROMOLECULAR FRUIT SYSTEM, AND 2) APPLICATION OF WATER- AND HEAT-RESISTANT COATINGS ON THE SURFACE OF FRUIT TO HELP STRENGTHEN OUTER EPIDERMAL WALLS OF THE FRUIT FOR PREVENTING LEACH OF ANTHOCYANINS AND RETAINING FLAVOR AND TEXTURE (INTEGRITY) OF PROCESSED FRUIT. THE PIGMENTS STABILIZED FRUIT CAN BE THERMALLY OR NON-THERMALLY PROCESSED TO INACTIVATE CONCERNED MICROORGANISMS AND ENZYMES FOR ENSURING FOOD SAFETY AND EXTENDING SHELF-LIFE WHILE MAINTAINING THE HEALTH PROMOTING ANTHOCYANINS AND OTHER SENSORY ATTRIBUTES.THE PROJECT GOALS WILL BE FULFILLED THROUGH A SERIES OF BASIC AND APPLIED STUDIES THAT ARE CONDUCTED CONSECUTIVELY AND/OR SIMULTANEOUSLY USING LAB BENCH RESEARCH, PILOT-SCALE STUDIES AND COMMERCIAL TRIALS IN A FOOD PROCESSING FACILITY. SPECIFICALLY, LAB RESEARCHES ARE CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THERMAL STABILIZATION OF FRUIT ANTHOCYANINS THROUGH ANTHOCYANIN-PHENOLICS CO-PIGMENTATION AND INTERACTION WITH PECTIN IN CELL WALLS AND BY ENHANCING STABILITY OF FRUIT CELL WALL STRUCTURES THROUGH CROSSLINKING AND SURFACE MODIFICATIONS. SEQUENTIAL EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS ARE APPLIED TO OPTIMIZE THE TREATMENT CONDITIONS AND DEVELOP STEP-BY-STEP TREATMENT PROCEDURES. UNDER EVALUATED TREATMENT CONDITIONS, FRUIT ANTHOCYANINS ARE CHARACTERIZED THROUGH MOLECULAR AND POLYMERIC ANALYSES, AND FRUIT TISSUES ARE EVALUATED BY MICROSCOPIC ANALYSES. MEANWHILE, IN COLLABORATION WITH A CMF/CNF (MICRO- OR NANO-SCALE CELLULOSE FIBER) MANUFACTURER, LAB RESEARCHES ARE CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY CMF/CNF MATERIALS WITH THE MOST SUITABLE INTRINSIC PROPERTIES AND DEVELOP COATING FORMULATIONS WITH TARGETED WATER- AND HEAT-RESISTANCE FOR PREVENTING ANTHOCYANIN LEAKAGE, AND RETAINING INTEGRITY AND QUALITY OF WHOLE FRUIT DURING PROCESS AND STORAGE IN AQUEOUS MEDIA. INTRINSIC PROPERTIES OF CMF/CNF, INCLUDING DIAMETER, SHAPE, SURFACE MORPHOLOGY, AND ZETA POTENTIAL ARE DETERMINED. CMF/CNF INCORPORATED LAYER-BY-LAYER COATING FORMULATIONS ARE APPLIED ON SELECTED FRUIT SURFACE (CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES AND RED PEARS) WHICH ARE SUBJECTED TO THERMAL PROCESS IN AQUEOUS MEDIA. ANTHOCYANIN RETENTION, TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT, COLOR, FIRMNESS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT FRUIT QUALITY PARAMETERS ARE ANALYZED. WATER DIFFUSION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS FROM COATED FRUIT INTO PACKAGING MEDIA AFTER THERMAL TREATMENT ARE ALSO EXAMINED BY EVALUATING ANTHOCYANIN CONTENT, POLYMERIC COLOR, AND TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT OF THE FILLING MEDIA. FURTHERMORE, PILOT SCALE STUDIES ARE PERFORMED BY SUBJECTING TREATED FRUIT (CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES AND RED PEARS) USING ABOVE DESCRIBED TECHNOLOGIES (CO-PIGMENTATION, CROSSLINKING AND SURFACE MODIFICATIONS, CMF/CNF INCORPORATED LAYER-BY-LAYER COATING, ETC.) TO THERMAL (SIMULATED CANNING PROCESS) AND HIGH HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE PROCESS IN THE PILOT-PLANT FRUIT PROCESSING FACILITY TO EVALUATE THE RETENTION OF ANTHOCYANINS AND INACTIVATION OF CONCERNED MICROORGANISMS AND ENZYMES THAT MAY LEAD TO FOOD SAFETY CONCERN AND QUALITY DETERIORATION. MICROBIAL CHALLENGE STUDIES ARE CONDUCTED TO ENSURE THE INACTIVATION OF CONCERNED MICROORGANISMS, FRUIT QUALITIES INCLUDING ANTHOCYANIN CONTENT, COLOR AND TEXTURE ARE ALL EVALUATED. FINALLY, THE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGIES ARE VALIDATED IN RESPECT TO THEIR FEASIBILITY TO CREATE NOVEL FRUIT PRODUCTS WITH HIGH APPEALING, NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY QUALITIES, AND SUFFICIENT SHELF-LIFE. THREE PRODUCT EXAMPLES ARE DEVELOPED AND VALIDATED, INCLUDING 1) CANNED BLUEBERRIES PROCESSED AT A COMMERCIAL CANNING FACILITY, 2) MARASCHINO CHERRY TYPE OF PRODUCT IN GLASS JARS, AND 3) BLUEBERRIES, CHERRIES, AND PEELS-ON RED PEAR PIECES IN MIXED FRUIT CUPS. THE PROCESSED FRUIT PRODUCTS ARE EVALUATED FOR QUALITY, CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE, AND SHELF-LIFE OF ANTHOCYANINS STABILITY.THIS STUDY WILL FULFILL IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS REGARDING THE INTERACTION OF ANTHOCYANINS WITH FRUIT CELL WALL MATERIALS AND EPIDERMAL WALL MICROSTRUCTURE, NOVEL WATER- AND HEAT-RESISTANT FOOD COATINGS, AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR PRESERVING NATURAL FRUIT PIGMENTS, FLAVOR, AND TEXTURE IN PROCESSED WHOLE FRUIT. THE FINDINGS RESULTS WILL HAVE BROAD APPLICATIONS FOR THE PROCESSED FRUIT INDUSTRY, NOT ONLY BY IMPROVING EXISTING PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES, BUT ALSO DEVELOPING NEW AND NOVEL PRODUCTS WITH PROMOTED NUTRITIONAL VALUE, ENHANCED QUALITY, AND EXTENDED SHELF-LIFE. RESULTS GENERATED FROM THIS STUDY WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON U.S. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY ON THE PROCESSED FRUIT INDUSTRY. FIRSTLY, THE KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPED REGARDING ANTHOCYANINS PRESERVATION WILL PROVIDE SUFFICIENT SCIENTIFIC BASE TO DEVELOP NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR RETAINING NATIVE FRUIT PIGMENTS. SECONDLY, THE EFFORT WILL ENHANCE THE COMPETITIVE QUALITY OF U.S. FRUIT BY CREATING INNOVATIVE FRUIT PRODUCTS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN DEVELOPED ELSEWHERE. LASTLY, IT HELPS REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD WASTE AS THE SKINS OF THE FRUIT ARE NO LONGER NEED TO BE REMOVED.