Changes in the chlorophyll and pheophytin concentrations of kiwifruit during processing and storage

Abstract

The chlorophylls and pheophytins in fresh, canned and frozen kiwifruit products were measured. The importance of adjusting the kiwifruit samples to pH 7.5 prior to analysis, in order to minimise chlorophyll degradation, was demonstrated. The concentration of chlorophylls in fresh kiwifruit from commercial orchards varied by a factor of two. In canned kiwifruit slices, all of the chlorophylls had been degraded after heating at 100°C for 5 min. The chlorophylls in frozen kiwifruit purée stored at - 18°C were reduced to less than one-third of their initial concentrations within 36 days. © 1985.