Eight acylated anthocyanins were isolated from the storage roots of the pur
ple sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas cv Yamagawamurasaki, which is the source
of the food colorant "purple sweet potato color." Of these, six pigments we
re identified as diacylated anthocyanins, cyanidin and peonidin 3-O-(6-O-(E
)-caffeyl-2-O-(6-O-acyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside)-5-O-
beta-D-glucopyranosides, in which each acyl subsutituent was a p-hydroxyben
zoyl, (E)-caffeyl or (E)-ferulyl residue, mainly by NMR analyses.