In vitro digestion of chlorophyll pigments from edible seaweeds

Abstract

The three most common edible seaweeds, Nori (Porphyra umbilicalis), Sea Lettuce (Ulva sp.) and Kombu (Laminaria ochroleuca), were subjected for the first time to an in vitro digestion process in order to study the digestive stability and recovery of chlorophyll pigments of the a, b and c series. Due to the complex and diverse chlorophyll profile in these seaweeds, new principles regarding the behaviour of chlorophylls during the in vitro digestion were obtained.

Cooking effects on chlorophyll profile of the main edible seaweeds

“…For the first time these data suggest that the substitution of magnesium by hydrogen in chlorophyll molecules is more difficult for chlorophyll c than for chlorophyll a. As chlorophyll c is only present in certain marine algae, our study is the first to demonstrate the resistance of chlorophyll c to the replacement of its central magnesium, a result in accordance with the recently reported high digestive stability of chlorophyll c (Chen & Roca, 2018a). The reaction of pheophytinisation may be less favoured in chlorophyll c 1 because of its structure (structure C, Fig.…”

First‐Pass Metabolism of Chlorophylls in Mice

“…[34] The pH conditions reached in the stomach and the enzymatic reactions taking place there and later in the small intestine conform the perfect environment to transform the original chlorophyll into pheophytin-type derivatives, as observed in in vitro studies. [15,18] Almost all the native chlorophyll content is transformed in the stomach through pheophytinization, although a small fraction of intact chlorophyll a was still present in the feces of mice. Additionally, the corresponding allomerized products of pheophytin increased their presence through enzymatic reactions [16] and chemical processes [17] that take place during digestion.…”

“…Subsequently, these results were confirmed, applying the same in vitro protocol to pea preparations, [16] standards of chlorophyll derivatives isolated from natural sources, [17] and seaweeds. [18,19] Specifically, it has been shown in vitro that de-phytylated chlorophylls (pheophorbides) are preferentially absorbed over phytylated chlorophylls (pheophytins). [17][18][19] Through comparative experiments with the Caco-2 cellular model, it has been hypothesized that pheophytin a at different concentration levels in the cell culture medium is absorbed by passive diffusion, while pheophorbide is absorbed by a combination of two mechanisms.…”

“…[18,19] Specifically, it has been shown in vitro that de-phytylated chlorophylls (pheophorbides) are preferentially absorbed over phytylated chlorophylls (pheophytins). [17][18][19] Through comparative experiments with the Caco-2 cellular model, it has been hypothesized that pheophytin a at different concentration levels in the cell culture medium is absorbed by passive diffusion, while pheophorbide is absorbed by a combination of two mechanisms. The authors claimed that the saturation of the absorption rate observed at concentrations below 0.5 μm is compatible with a passive transport mechanism.…”

Stability Study of the Pigment Extract from a Wild <i>Pycnoporus sanguineus</i>

“…Due to this reason, the synthetic colorants in food will gradually be limited and eventually phased out. Meanwhile, natural source pigments are becoming more and more attractive, largely due to their natural superiority over artificial pigment, including their nutritional value, pharmacological effects, as well as the higher values in food safety [2][3][4][5].…”