Abstract: 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.

Key words: anthocyanins; proteins; stability; functional properties; interaction