FOOD SCIENCE AND PROCESSING 3 (2+1)

Lesson 14 : Vegetables

Water-Insoluble Pigments

• Chlorophyll: The green pigments of leaves and stem are usually held close to the cell wall in small bodies called chloroplasts along with some carotenes and xanthophylls. Chlorophyll-a is intense blue green in colour and chlorophyll-b is dull yellow green in colour. Chlorophylls are mostly insoluble in water and dominant in unripe fruits. This pigment is present in green leafy vegetables, capsicum, beans, peas and chillies.
• Carotenoids: In greens though carotenoids are present the colour is masked by the chlorophyll.
  
  In plants, carotenoids are present as α- carotene, β- carotene, ϒ- carotene, xanthophylls and cryptoxanthin. β- Carotene is valuable in the synthesis of vitamin A. Type of carotenoid pigments present in food is given in Table.
  
  Table : Carotenoid pigments present in foods
  
  

  Food	Pigments
  Yellow corn	Cryptoxanthin
  Tomatoes	Lycopene, β-carotene
  Red capsicum	Cryptoxanthin, capsorubin, β- carotene, violaxanthin, capxanthin.
  Green capsicum	Lutein, β- carotene, violaxanthin, neoxanthin.
  Carrots	β- carotene, α- carotene,¥- carotene, lycopene, xanthophylls.