Disclosed is a method for separating anthocyanins depleted in phenolic mixture content from fruits or vegetables feedstock containing anthocyanins and phenolic mixtures. The first step is to contact the feedstock with a cation-exchange resin at low pH for a time period effective for the resin to selectively bind with the anthocyanins. Next, the non-bound phenolic mixture is separated from the resin for recovery. The bound resin is subjected to solvent wash to release the anthocyanins for recovery.