Chlorophyll-a
Chlorophyll a is a class of chlorophyll pigment with a -CH3 group attached to the basic porphyrin structure of the chlorophyll. All photosynthetic organisms, including plants, microalgae, macroalgae and cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll a. Being the principal photoreceptor in light harvesting, chlorophyll a absorbs light with maximal absorptions at 642 nm and 372 nm.
A crucial role of chlorophyll a is that it functions as primary electron donor in the electron transport chain. Photosystem I contain monomeric or dimeric forms of chlorophyll a and its epimers. One such epimer is Chl a'. The enzymatic action involved in epimerization of chlorophyll a has not been understood yet.
The decline in chlorophyll a/b is associated with leaf senescence and fruit ripening. Chlorophyll a can be an effective marker for measuring the effect of various environmental contaminants on plant/algal growth.
Plants (notably nettles, lucerne, broccoli, and spinach) are good resources for commercial level extraction of chlorophylls. Chlorophylls have been used as a natural green colourant in food and personal care formulations. Metallochlorophylls with improved colour stability has long been available. E140 denotes modified chlorophyll as a food additive.
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Analysis Packages for Chlorophyll-a
The Celignis Analysis Package(s) that determine this constituent are listed below:
P74 Pigments in Seaweed |
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| Fucoxanthin, Astaxanthin, Chlorophyll-c, Chlorophyll-a, Chlorophyll-b, Lutein, beta-Carotene, Neoxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Violaxanthin |
P150 Plant Pigments |
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| Chlorophyll-a, Chlorophyll-b, Lutein, beta-Carotene, Neoxanthin, Astaxanthin, Zeaxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Violaxanthin |
Equipment Used for Chlorophyll-a Analysis
| Ion Chromatography A Dionex ICS-3000 system that is equipmed with electrochemical, conductivity, and ultraviolet-visible detectors. |
Additional Material
We can determine the Chlorophyll-a content of biomass, click here to learn more about our various biomass analysis methods.We can determine the Chlorophyll-a content of seaweed, click here to learn more about our various methods for analysing seaweed.
