Determination of Chlorophylls in Kiwi Fruit and Their Changes during Ripening

Chlorophylls were separated into a and b compounds by thin‐layer chromatography and determined using a dual‐wavelength chromato‐scanner. A linear relationship existed in the range 0.1‐1.0 μg for chlorophyll a (chla) and 0.1‐0.7 μg for chlorophyll b (chl b ). The recoveries of chi a and chl b when added to kiwi fruit were 79.4% and 99.5%, respectively. Total chl a + chl b contents of four cultivars of kiwi fruit (Abbott, Bruno, Hayward and Monty) were 2000‐3000 μg/ 100g at the beginning of growth, but decreased to about 1000 μg after four months. This decrease was mainly due to a decrease in chl a . Total chlorophyll content decreased gradually during post‐harvest ripening.