SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF PLANT PIGMENTS FROM LEAF PROTEIN CONCENTRATE

Abstract

The color and pheophorbide content of green leaf protein concentrate (LPC) samples from white clover and alfalfa were affected by the conditions of heat coagulation. Extraction with organic solvents made it possible to remove the pigments, including pheophorbide, and fat from the green LPC samples. Of the organic solvents tested, ethanol was considered to be most suitable from the viewpoint of producing edible protein as well as its dissolving power for chlorophyll, the major pigment in plants. The optimum concentration of ethanol for chlorophyll extraction was around 90 %. The rate of extraction of chlorophyll was considerably dependent upon methods of drying green LPC samples. An equilibrium diagram of chlorophyll extraction with ethanol, based on the results of single extraction with fresh solvent, is presented.