Separation of Chlorophylls and Their Degradation Products using Packed Column Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC)

Complex mixtures of chlorophyll degradation products may arise during processing and storage of vegetable oil and green plant materials like broccoli and spinach. Determination of these compounds is important in the area of food chemistry. Therefore a method using packed column supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has been developed. The method comprises chromatography using a simple gradient of methanol in carbon dioxide at constant column back pressure of 30 MPa and a column temperature of 40°C. Effects of pressure and mobile phase composition showed the importance of applying a modifier gradient for optimal separation of the chlorophyll products. The method permits separation of 15 chlorophyll derivatives including chlorophyll a and b, pheophytins, and pyropheophytins on a C₁₈ column in about 20 minutes. Identifications of the individual peaks were based on reference compounds, the retention order of the compounds, and their absorption spectra.