Degradation of chlorophyll in model preparations

When chlorophyll was dark-stored in coconut butter and the semi-synthetic triacylglycerol Miglyol the samples were more stable than the mixture with sunflower oil. Light exposed chlorophyll (3.000 lux) was more stable in sunflower oil. Co-extracted plant constituents apparently decreased the stability of chlorophyll in the coconut butter model. An addition of α-tocopherol up to levels of 630 ing kg^-1 improved the storability of crude chlorophyll preparations and of light exposed mixtures with coconut butter. The synergistic activity of lecithins (600 mg kg^-1) correlated with their contents of phosphatidyl choline and yielded coconut butter/chlorophyll mixtures with a half life time of 24 days (3.000 lux 40°C) as compared to <20 hours for the non-supplemented chlorophyll/ coconut butter mixture.