UNIT 6

PIGMENT

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 PIGMENT
⚫ Acolourant is something added to something else to cause
achange in colour. Colourants can be dyes, pigments, inks,
paint, or chemicals. For example, this could be adding white
to tint a paint, or black to shade a paint, ultimately changing
the colour or value.
⚫ Adye can generally be described as a colored substance that
has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied.
The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and may
require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the
fiber.(ref: chemical compound)

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

⚫ Apigment is amaterial that changes the color of light it
reflects as the result of selective color absorption. In biology, a
pigment is any material resulting in color of plant or animal
cells.
⚫ Plant pigment: • Animal pigment:
⚫Chlorophyll •Hemoglobin
⚫Anthocyanins • mioglobin
⚫Caretenoid,
⚫Tannin
⚫Proanthocyanin
⚫Betalain
⚫Kuinon and
xanton

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Chlorophyll
⚫ Chlorophyll is agreen pigment found in most plants, algae,
and cyanobacteria.
⚫ Its name is derived from ancient Greek: chloros = green and
phyllon = leaf.
⚫ Chlorophyll absorbs most strongly in the blue and red but
poorly in the green portions of the electromagnetic
spectrum, hence the green color of chlorophyll-containing
tissues like plant leaves.
⚫ Exists in two types:
a(3) – blue green b(1) – yellow green
o
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
 Chemical structure
⚫ The basic structure of achlorophyll molecule is aporphyrin ring,
co-ordinated to a central atom.This is very similar in structure to
the heme group found in hemoglobin, except that in heme the
central atom is iron, whereas in chlorophyll it is magnesium.

Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll b

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 1 1
2 2
phytoll

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Physical properties
⚫Chlorophyll a and pheophytin a
⚫Dissolve in alcohol, eter, benzene and acetone
⚫Pure: half dissolve in petroleum eter
⚫Not dissolve in water

⚫Chlorophyll b and pheophytin b

⚫Dissolve in alcohol, eter, benzene and acetone
⚫Pure: almost not dissolve in petroleum eter
⚫Not dissolve in water

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

PATHWAY OF CHLOROPHYLL DEGRADATION
IN PLANT OR PROCESSED FOOD

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

PATHWAY OF CHLOROPHYLL DEGRADATION
IN PLANT OR PROCESSED FOOD

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Effect of Handling, processing and
storage
⚫ Photooxidation
⚫ Freezing – Chlorophyll  Pheophytin
⚫ Heating
⚫ Colourant : Use sodabicarbonate/Ca/MgOH
⚫Can’t bind the Mg2+ colour just maintain for a certain
time only.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Anthocyanins
⚫ Anthocyanins (from Greek: (anthos) = flower + (kyanos) =
blue) are water-soluble vacuolar flavonoid pigments that
appear red to blue, according to pH.
⚫ They are synthesized by organisms of the plant kingdom and
bacteria, and have been observed to occur in all tissues of
higher plants, providing color in leaves, stems, roots, flowers,
and fruits.
⚫ The pigment components of anthocyanidins can be identified
based on the structure of a flavylium cation

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
Anthocyanidin R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7

Cyanidin -OH -OH -H -OH -OH -H -OH

Delphinidin -OH -OH -OH -OH -OH -H -OH
Pelargonidin -H -OH -H -OH -OH -H -OH
Malvidin - -OH -OCH3 -OH -OH -H -OH
OCH3

Peonidin - -OH -H -OH -OH -H -OH

OCH3

Petunidin -OH -OH -OCH3 -OH -OH -H -OH

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

Visible color range of common
anthocyanidins

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Carotenoid
⚫ There are over 600 known carotenoids; they are split into two
classes, xanthophylls and carotenes.They absorb blue light.
⚫ Carotene found in carrots and responsible for their bright
orange colour.
⚫ Crude palm oil, however, is the richest source of carotenoids.
⚫ In nature carotenoid coloration are the oranges of carrots and
citrus fruits, the reds of peppers and tomatoes
⚫ Within animals, carotenoids provide bright coloration, serve as
antioxidants, and can be a source for vitaminAactivity

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

Structure of selected carotenoids
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
 Hemoglobin
⚫ Blood can carry very little oxygen in
solution.
⚫ Hemoglobin is required to carry
oxygen around.
⚫ Hemoglobin is found in red blood
cells

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫ In fact if the body had
to depend upon
dissolved oxygen in
the plasma to supply
oxygen to the cells
⚫ The heart would have
to pump 140 liters per
minute - instead of 4
liters per minute.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫ Each red blood cell can
carry about one million
molecules of oxygen
⚫ Hemoglobin is 97%
saturated when it leaves the
lungs
⚫ Under resting conditions is
it about 75% saturated
when it returns.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫ Hemoglobin is made from two similar proteins that "stick
together".
⚫ Both proteins must be present for the hemoglobin to pick up and
release oxygen normally.
⚫ One of the component proteins is called alpha, the other is beta.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Porphyrin Ring

⚫ At the core of the molecule is

porphyrin ring which holds an
iron atom.
⚫ An iron containing porphyrin
is termed a heme.
⚫ This iron atom is the site of
oxygen binding.
⚫ The name hemoglobin is the
concatenation of heme and
globin
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
 Hemoglobin
⚫ Hemoglobin is a remarkable molecular machine that
uses motion and small structural changes to regulate
its action.
⚫ Oxygen binding at the four heme sites in hemoglobin
does not happen simultaneously.
⚫ Once the first heme binds oxygen, it introduces small
changes in the structure of the corresponding protein
chain.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫These changes nudge the neighboring chains
into a different shape, making them bind
oxygen more easily.
⚫Thus, it is difficult to add the first oxygen
molecule, but binding the second, third and
fourth oxygen molecules gets progressively
easier and easier.
⚫This provides a great advantage in hemoglobin
function.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫ When blood is in the lungs,
where oxygen is plentiful,
oxygen easily binds to the first
subunit and then quickly fills up
the remaining ones.
⚫ Then, as blood circulates
through the body, the oxygen
level drops while that of carbon
dioxide increases.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

Hemoglobin
⚫ In this environment, hemoglobin releases its bound
oxygen.As soon as the first oxygen molecule drops off,
the protein starts changing its shape.
⚫ This prompts the remaining three oxygens to be quickly
released.
⚫ In this way,hemoglobin picks up the largest possible load
of oxygen in the lungs, and delivers all of it where and
when needed.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

26 M 2001 FOOD CHEMISTRY
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
 Hemoglobin
The heme group of one subunit, shown in the little circular
window, is kept in one place so that you can see how the
protein moves around it when oxygen binds.
As it binds to the iron atom in the center of the heme, it pulls
a histidine amino acid upwards on the bottom side of the
heme.
This shifts the position of an entire alpha helix,This motion is
propagated throughout the protein chain and on to the
other chains, ultimately causing the large rocking motion
of the two subunits

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Iron and Hemoglobin
⚫ The mineral, iron, plays an
important role in the
body’s delivery and use of
oxygen to and by working
muscles.
⚫ It binds oxygen to
hemoglobin, which then
travels in the bloodstream
to locations throughout
the body.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Iron and Hemoglobin
⚫ Generally, the more oxygen
there is being delivered, the
greater the body’s ability to
perform work.
⚫ For this reason, iron receives
much attention for its role in
supporting aerobic exercise,
and it has been postulated that a
lack of iron in the body can
reduce aerobic capacity and
impair endurance performance.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

30 M 2001 FOOD CHEMISTRY
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
31 M 2001 FOOD CHEMISTRY
DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY
 Iron and Hemoglobin
⚫ Iron deficient red blood
cells
⚫ Low number or cells
⚫ Note the hollow and
blanched appearance of
the red blood cells.

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

 Hemoglobin
⚫ Tetraphyrol – hem (Fe2+ +Forphyrin)
⚫ 4 hem
⚫ Fe binding with 4 hem

Mioglobin
• 1 hem

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY

MEAT COLOR CHANGES ACCORDING TO THE OXIDATION STATE
OF MYOGLOBIN

Retailed display Vacuum Oxidized

packed meat Meat
CURED MEAT COLOR PIGMENTS
Nitrite (NO2-) is a very unique and very important chemical in
meat processing.

FUNCTION :
• Inhibit the growth of bacteria that can form spore and
survive harsh heating and freezing treatments
EXAMPLE of this type of spore-forming bacteria is
Clostridium botulinum.
• Works as an antioxidant by blocking Myoglobin interaction
with oxygen thus decreasing lipid (fat) oxidation and it
contributes to the familiar cured flavor and texture
CHEMICAL REACTION FORMING CURED MEAT COLOR
PIGMENTS

• Nitrite acts as a strong oxidant to the heme pigment Mb, converting it to MMb
while simultaneously reducing itself to nitric oxide (NO).
• NO then becomes bound to the hemegroup of MMb forming nitric oxide MMb
(NO-MMb).
• Under anaerobic conditions (oxygen-reduced atmosphere), NO-MMb is reduced to
nitrosyl Mb and the color changes from brown to an unstable bright red.
• The reaction continues with unstable nitrosyl Mb being heated, denaturing the
heme protein and converting it to its final stable form nitrosyl hemochrome.
• This stable pink color is sensitive to both light and oxygen and will fade to a dull
gray color over time which is why most cured product are vacuum packaged.
Retailed display Vacuum packed meat

DMT20053 – FOOD CHEMISTRY