Objective The content and monomer composition of anthocyanins in the pericarp of main grape varieties in Xinjiang were explored, and the varieties with higher anthocyanin content and more monomers were screened out, which provided theoretical basis for the processing and utilization of anthocyanins in grapes in the future.

Methods In this paper, the content and monomer composition of anthocyanins in 14 fresh grapes planted in Xinjiang were detected and compared by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS).

Results A total of 67 different anthocyanin monomers were detected in fresh fruit peels of 14 different grape varieties: 15 Cyanidins, 16 Delphinidins, 9 Malvidins, 5 Pelargonidin s, 15 Peonidins and 7 Petunidin s. There were significant differences in the number and total content of anthocyanin monomers among the 14 varieties tested, and there were also significant differences in the composition and content of different anthocyanin monomers among different grape varieties. In addition, the content of pigment -3-O- glucoside of mallow is the highest among all monomers detected in the experiment.

Conclusion Grape peels such as Little rose grape, Baladored grape and Hutai No.8 contain more anthocyanin monomers, while the peels of Yan73, Little rose grape and Saperavi contain more anthocyanins. In the future research field of grape anthocyanin extraction, processing and application, the above grape varieties can be used as the preferred varieties with certain advantages.