Demetalation of chlorophyll pigments

Natural chlorophylls (Chls) and bacteriochlorophyll (BChls), which are major pigments in photosynthesis, possess a central Mg (or Zn) in their cyclic tetrapyrrole macrocycles. Removal of the central metal atom from chlorophyllous pigments, called pheophytinization, is a biologically important reaction in that it allows production of the primary electron acceptors in photosystem II(-type) reaction centers and is one of the crucial steps in the Chl degradation pathway. Pheophytinization in processed and postharvest foods derived from vegetables and fruits has attracted considerable attention in agricultural and food chemistry from the viewpoints of maintenance of their color level and evaluation by consumers. In this review, we focus on in vivo demetalation reactions and demetalated products of chlorophyllous pigments. In addition, we summarize kinetic studies on in vitro demetalation of natural (B)Chl molecules and their synthetic analogs under acidic conditions.