Chlorophyll
What it does
Green colour.
How it's made
Extracted from green plants such as nettles and grass.
Chlorophyll is the natural green pigment that plants use to capture sunlight, and it is used as a food colour to give green shades to products such as sauces, sweets, ice cream and dairy desserts. It is the same pigment that makes leaves and many vegetables green.
It is obtained by extracting green plant material — commonly nettles, grass, alfalfa or other leafy crops — with food-grade solvents that dissolve the fat-soluble chlorophyll out of the leaves. The extract is then filtered and concentrated, and the solvent removed, to give a green colour concentrate.
Because natural chlorophyll can be unstable, it is often supplied in oil-soluble form or converted to more stable derivatives. The purified pigment is standardised for colour strength and used where a natural green is wanted, though it is less stable to heat, light and acid than its copper-containing relative.
Possible reactions
Generally well tolerated.