Synthesis of different metallochlorophyllins and quantification in food samples by reversed phase – high performance liquid chromatography

Bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell uptake of iron chlorophyllin using a biologically relevant digestion model

Iron deficiency remains a top nutrient deficiency worldwide. Iron chlorophyllin (IC), a compound structurally analogous to heme, utilizes the protoporphyrin ring of chlorophyll to bind iron. IC has previously been shown to deliver more iron to Caco-2 cells than FeSO4, the most common form prescribed for supplementation. However, previous test conditions used digestive conditions outside of those observed in humans. This study sought to assess IC bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell uptake using physiologically relevant digestive solutions, pH, and incubation time, as compared to other iron sources (i.e., FeSO4, and hemoglobin (Hb)). Co-digestion with ascorbic acid (AA) and albumin was also investigated. Following gastric, duodenal, and jejunal digestion, IC-bound iron was less bioaccessible than iron delivered as FeSO4, and IC-bound iron was less bioaccessible than Hb-bound iron. IC-bound iron bioaccessibility was not affected by AA and was enhanced 2x when co-digested with a low dose of albumin. However, Caco-2 cell incubation with IC-containing digesta increased cell ferritin 2.5x more than FeSO4 alone, and less than Hb. IC with AA or with 400 mg albumin also increased cell ferritin more than IC alone, with the greatest increases observed following incubation of digesta containing IC + AA + 400 mg albumin. These results suggest IC can serve as an improved source of iron for supplementation as compared to FeSO4. These results also support further in vivo investigations of IC-based iron delivery in populations at risk of iron deficiency.

Analysis of Chlorophylls/Chlorophyllins in Food Products Using HPLC and HPLC-MS Methods

Of the different quality parameters of any food commodity or beverage, color is the most important, attractive and choice-affecting sensory factor to consumers and customers. Nowadays, food industries are interested in making the appearance of their food products attractive and interesting in order to appeal to consumers/customers. Natural green colorants have been accepted universally due to their natural appeal as well as their nontoxic nature to consumers. In addition, several food safety issues mean that natural green colorants are preferable to synthetic food colorants, which are mostly unsafe to the consumers but are less costly, more stable, and create more attractive color hues in food processing. Natural colorants are prone to degradation into numerous fragments during food processing, and thereafter, in storage. Although different hyphenated techniques (especially high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), LC-MS/HRMS, and LC/MS-MS are extensively used to characterize all these degradants and fragments, some of them are not responsive to any of these techniques, and some substituents in the tetrapyrrole skeleton are insensitive to these characterization tools. Such circumstances warrant an alternative tool to characterize them accurately for risk assessment and legislation purposes. This review summarizes the different degradants of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins under different conditions, their separation and identification using various hyphenated techniques, national legislation regarding them, and the challenges involved in their analysis. Finally, this review proposes that a non-targeted analysis method that combines HPLC and HR-MS assisted by powerful software tools and a large database could be an effective tool to analyze all possible chlorophyll and chlorophyllin-based colorants and degradants in food products in the future.

Effects of Different Zn2+ Concentrations and High Hydrostatic Pressures (HHP) on Chlorophyll Stability

This study provides a new idea for improving chlorophyll stability and color quality of green leafy vegetables by Zn2+ synergistic HHP. Zn-chlorophyll was prepared with zinc acetate and chlorophyll under HHP treatment. The effects of different zinc acetate concentrations and pressures on chlorophyll color, antioxidant activity, Zn2+ replacement rate, structure, and thermal stability were analyzed. Results showed with increased zinc acetate concentration and pressure, −a* value, antioxidant activity, and Zn2+ replacement rate of samples gradually increased. However, FTIR indicated the structure did not change. HHP fluorescence online analysis showed fluorescence intensity of samples decreased with zinc acetate concentration and pressure increasing. With zinc acetate 10 mg/100 mL and HHP 500 MPa, the highest −a* value (5.19), antioxidant activity (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP were 37.03 g ACE/100 g, 25.95 g ACE/100 g, 65.43 g TE/100 g DW, respectively), and Zn2+ replacement rate (42.34%) were obtained. Thermal stability of Zn-chlorophyll obtained by synergistic effect was improved significantly.