Contents
Food additive E 140
What is chlorophyll?
Chlorophyll is found naturally in vegetables
Chlorophyll (E 140) is a natural dye, perhaps the best known and most common in the plant kingdom.
This additive is extracted from green plants by chemical process. As a curiosity, we can explain that plants owe their green coloration to this famous pigment, chlorophyll.
The reason why chlorophyll is green is because it contains magnesium, a green colored mineral. The same happens with human blood, which contains iron and it is red, that is why blood is red.
Some reptilian animals have other minerals in their blood, such as nickel, and that is why they have blue blood.
Chlorophyll chemical properties
It is a fat-soluble substance, sensitive to heat and light, unstable against acids and antioxidant.
Uses in food of Chlorophyll
This colorant is used in:
Candy, chewing gum, cheese, vegetables, jams, jellies, marmalades, lemonade, liqueurs.
Chlorophyll toxicity
It is considered a harmless additive for health. Its ADI is not determined and it can be used in free amounts in food products.
Other featured food Colorings:
– Lutein, xanthophyll and tagetes extract – E 161b
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