Abstract: To search for natural and stable colorant for food industry, total 50 plant species containing anthothyanin were collected, the anthocyanin samples were extracted from different organs, and the stability was evaluated according to colour duration in acidic solution with pH 1.0 and pH 4.5 in one year. Finally 4 anthothyanin samples with longer color duration extracted from Platycodon (Platycodon grandiflorua A.), Hollyhock (Althaea Rosea L.), Larkspur (Delphinium grandiflorum L.) and Japanese chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat) respectively were obtained. The characteristics of the anthothyanin were studied according to procession conditions, such as different pH, light, heat and metal ions. It was showed that the anthothyanin were stable bellow pH4.0, stability decreased sharply above pH4.0, and their half lifetime were 339d, 255d, 226d and 234d respectively under pH 1.0 and sunlight. Different metal ions affected stability at different rate, calcium and magnesium had no effect on stability, while aluminium decreased stability slightly, the presents of copper, stannum and iron caused obvious stability decline, iron did the most among the metal ions tested in this study. The lost rate of the 4 anthothyanin samples were 2.7%, 29.2%, 20.0% and 7.1% respectively under 100℃, pH1.0 treatment for 20min, which shows anthothyanin from Platycodon have a higher stability than the other 3 samples. The results show that the anthothyanin from the 4 species could be developed as potential additives in food industry.