As functional bioactive substances, anthocyanins have attracted more and more attention, but their application is limited by their poor stability and low bioavailability. As one of the three essential nutrients needed by the human body, protein has good biocompatibility and biodegradability. It is often used in food processing, but its functional properties need to be improved. Proteins and anthocyanins usually coexist in food, and can easily interact with each other both covalently and non-covalently. The non-covalent interactions are predominant, including hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interaction, electrostatic interaction and van der Waals force. This paper summarizes recent progress in the research on the interaction between anthocyanins and proteins, including the effect of proteins on anthocyanin stability and bioavailability, the effect of anthocyanins on protein functional properties, and the application status of anthocyanin-protein complexes, which will provide a theoretical basis for the application of anthocyanins and proteins in food deep processing.

Constipation is a common intestinal disease. Kiwi berries can effectively prevent constipation. However, studies have yet to be done to determine how kiwi berries prevent constipation. For two weeks, mice in this study were continually orally gavaged with kiwi berry, loperamide, or a combination of the 2. This study found that the kiwi group’s feces had more water than the constipated mice. In addition, kiwi berries can speed up gastrointestinal transit (GI), shorten the time it takes to pass the first dark stool, and dramatically enhance body weight gain. In the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) cells and colon tissues, alterations in the protein expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), protein kinase A (PKA), and aquaporin-3 (AQP3) were found. At 3, 6, and 12 h of ICC cells and mouse colon, the kiwi group’s VIP, cAMP, PKA, and AQP3 protein expression levels were lower than those of the constipated mice. The kiwi berry can decrease the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and boost the diversity and quantity of gut microbiota. By inf luencing the gut microbiota and VIP-cAMP-PKA-AQP3 signaling pathway, kiwi berries prevent constipation.