No abstract

Bright-green complexes were formed during the storage of canned green vegetable pm&es at room temperature or above. These pigments were isolated and purified, and their spectral characteristics analyzed.The occurrence of fluorescence and the phase test behavior were noted, and the hydrochloric acid numbers determined.Since copper and zinc were found in the green pigments, the ease of formation of these compounds on addition of metals in pea macerate was studied.The levels of metal content at which the phenomena of regreening can occur were determined, and the percentage conversion to the pigments formed was analyzed at these levels of metal. It was established that these pigments were copper complexes of mainly pheophytin a and, to some extent, pheophytin b.

SUMMARY Hungarian yellow wax peppers (Capsicum frutescens) were selected at progressive stages of ripening. During these turning stages, compounds appeared which were separated by two‐dimensional thin‐layer chromatography and their spectra determined. Chlorophylls a and b and five or more pink fluorescent compounds were detected at different ripening stages of the immature fruit. Two compounds were the last to disappear and are thought to be somewhat more stable degradation products of chlorophylls n and b. No pink fluorescent compounds were found in the fully mature pepper.

Pure pheophytins Q and b and pheophorhide a were isolated and the metal complexes of these compounds prepared in pure solutions. The metal content showed a 1 :l ratio of metal to pheophytin or pheophorbide. The spectral curves of the pure complexes were prepared and tables of absorptivities calculated. The molar absorptivities of the pheophytin a and pheophorbide a complexes proved identical.