ABSTRACT
Chlorophylls are pigments from photosynthetic organisms, which include plants, algae, and some bacteria (Figure 9.1).
These organisms produce more than 1
×
tons per year, 75% of them from marine environments. Thus, this green pigment is in superabundance and has been in the natural diet of humans and animals since immemorial times. As was previously mentioned, the long history of consumption of chlorophyll, and chlorophyll derivatives, as component of vegetables and fruits has assured its safety as a food component. However, chlorophyll structure has an inherent instability, which is the major drawback for its application as an additive in foodstuffs.
