E140 covers chlorophylls and chlorophyllins, not copper complexes
E140 refers to chlorophylls and chlorophyllins used as green food colours. Chlorophyll a and b are magnesium porphyrin pigments naturally present in plants, while chlorophyllins are dephytylated derivatives produced by saponification of plant extracts. Copper complexes belong under E141, not E140, and they have different chemistry and regulatory evaluation. This distinction matters because the word "chlorophyll" is often used loosely in marketing and purchasing, but the food additive identity must be precise.
EFSA's re-evaluation of E140(i) chlorophylls noted specification concerns, including source materials such as grass, lucerne and nettle, unidentified extract fractions and potential contaminants from plant sources. EFSA's opinion on E140(ii) chlorophyllins highlighted major identity and data gaps. A developer should therefore treat E140 as a specification-sensitive colour system, not simply as a natural green extract.
Why chlorophyll green is unstable
Chlorophyll's green colour depends on the magnesium-containing porphyrin structure and the hydrophobic phytol chain in natural chlorophylls. Acid, heat and processing can remove magnesium and form pheophytins, which shift the colour toward olive-brown. Further degradation can produce other derivatives with duller colour. This is why green vegetables lose bright colour during acid cooking, and the same chemistry matters in formulated foods. Low pH, heat, oxygen, light and enzymes can all reduce the fresh green appearance.
Chlorophylls are lipophilic, while chlorophyllins are more water-dispersible. This difference controls application. An oil-based sauce, fat coating or seasoning may require a different form from a water-based beverage or gel. If the delivery form does not match the matrix, the colour may separate, speckle, ring, sediment or fade. The first technical question is therefore not dose; it is whether the correct E140 form is being used for the product phase.
Application fit and limitations
E140 is most suitable where a green shade can tolerate some natural variation and where the matrix protects the pigment. It can work in fat-containing sauces, seasonings, confectionery coatings, dry blends and some chilled products. It is more difficult in acidic drinks, high-heat processes or transparent packages exposed to light. If a product needs a very bright, stable green at low pH, E140 may require protection, blending or replacement with a different colour strategy.
Blending is common. Chlorophyll may be combined with yellow or blue colours to tune shade, but each component has different stability. If chlorophyll browns while a yellow colour remains, the product may look dull. If a blue companion colour is too strong, the green may look artificial. The final shade should be measured after processing and storage in the real package.
Specification and quality control
Incoming control should identify the E140 subtype, source material, pigment content, solvent or extraction information, carrier, microbiological quality, heavy metals, pesticide or plant-toxin concerns where relevant, and colour strength. Finished-product testing should include pH, process heat, package light, colour coordinates, visual standard and shelf-life appearance. If the product is marketed as natural-coloured, confirm that the additive identity and label wording match regional rules.
Typical failures include olive-brown drift, oil separation, specking, sediment, shade variation between lots and mismatch between "chlorophyll" purchasing language and legal additive identity. The corrective action may require pH adjustment, shorter heat exposure, oxygen or light protection, different delivery form, tighter source specification or a shift to E141 where legally and commercially acceptable. E140 can deliver attractive green colour, but only when its degradation chemistry is respected.
Consumer language
Consumer-facing language should be checked carefully. "Chlorophyll" may sound simple and natural, but the additive can be a solvent extract, a chlorophyllin preparation or a formulated colour with carriers. The label and marketing text should not imply a plant ingredient claim that exceeds the actual additive identity or regional labelling rules.
Application examples
In a pesto-style sauce, E140 must survive oil phase, herbs, salt, oxygen and package light. In a confectionery coating, it must disperse without specks and remain stable during cooling and fat crystallization. In an acidic beverage, chlorophyll may be a poor choice unless the product accepts a duller green or uses protection. In a dry seasoning, the challenge may be even distribution and oxidation rather than immediate colour loss. These examples show why chlorophyll colour cannot be approved from a single stock solution.
Analytical confirmation
Analytical confirmation can separate chlorophylls, pheophytins and chlorophyllins where colour failure is serious. It is not required for every routine batch, but it is useful when green colour fades unexpectedly or when a supplier changes extraction process. Finished-product colour coordinates should be paired with pH, process heat and package exposure so the plant can identify whether the problem is chemistry, dispersion or lot variation.
Minimum effective dose
Minimum effective dose also matters for E140. Excess chlorophyll does not necessarily create a more stable green; it can make the product darker, more herbal in appearance, more prone to visible separation or more expensive. The correct dose is the amount that gives the desired shade after processing and storage in the chosen package.
Supplier change
Supplier change is especially important for E140 because plant source, extraction conditions and carrier can change shade and stability. A new lot may contain different proportions of chlorophyll derivatives or non-pigment extractives. Compare colour strength, hue, dispersion and shelf-life before accepting the change into production.
Release logic for Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls
Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls needs a narrower technical lens in Food Additives E Codes: pigment chemistry, pH, oxygen, light, metal ions, heat exposure and package transmission. This is where the article moves from naming the subject to explaining which variable should be controlled, why that variable moves and what would make the evidence unreliable.
The source list for Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls is strongest when each citation has a job. Re-evaluation of chlorophylls (E 140(i)) as food additives supports the scientific basis, Re-evaluation of chlorophyllins (E 140(ii)) as food additive supports the processing or quality angle, and Re-evaluation of Cu-chlorophylls and Cu-chlorophyllins (E 141) helps prevent the article from relying on a single method or a single product matrix.
A useful close for Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls is an action limit rather than a slogan. When the observed risk is fading, browning, hue shift, sedimented pigment or consumer-visible shade mismatch, the next action should be tied to the measurement that moved first, then confirmed on a retained or independently prepared sample before the change is locked into the specification.
Additive E140 Chlorophylls: additive-function specification
Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls should be handled through additive identity, purity, legal food category, maximum permitted level, carry-over, matrix compatibility, declaration and technological function. Those words are not filler; they define the evidence that proves whether the product, lot or process is still inside its intended control boundary.
For Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls, the decision boundary is dose approval, label check, market restriction, substitute selection or supplier requalification. The reviewer should trace that boundary to assay, purity statement, formulation dose calculation, finished-product check, label review and matrix performance test, then record why those data are sufficient for this exact product and title.
In Food Additive E140 Chlorophylls, the failure statement should name wrong additive class, excessive dose, weak function, regulatory mismatch, undeclared carry-over or poor compatibility with pH and heat history. The follow-up record should preserve sample point, method condition, lot identity, storage age and corrective action so another reviewer can repeat the conclusion.
FAQ
Why can chlorophyll colours turn olive-brown?
Acid and heat can remove magnesium from chlorophyll and form pheophytins, which have duller olive-brown colour.
Is E140 the same as E141?
No. E140 covers chlorophylls and chlorophyllins; E141 covers copper complexes of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins.
Sources
- Re-evaluation of chlorophylls (E 140(i)) as food additivesEFSA opinion used for E140(i) identity, source-material concerns and specification recommendations.
- Re-evaluation of chlorophyllins (E 140(ii)) as food additiveEFSA opinion used for E140(ii) identity uncertainty and lack of safety-assessment data.
- Re-evaluation of Cu-chlorophylls and Cu-chlorophyllins (E 141)EFSA opinion used to distinguish copper complexes from E140 chlorophylls and chlorophyllins.
- PubChem: Chlorophyll AOpen chemical database used for chlorophyll a identity and green-light absorption description.
- Chlorophylls and Their Derivatives in Food: Structure, Properties and AnalysisOpen-access review used for chlorophyll degradation, pheophytin formation and analytical context.
- Food additivesEFSA overview used for food-additive authorisation, specifications and safety assessment context.
- Food coloursEFSA topic page used for colour re-evaluation and food-colour regulatory context.
- Codex General Standard for Food Additives Online DatabaseCodex database used for food categories, functional classes and international additive permissions.
- A critical review on the stability of natural food pigments and stabilization techniquesOpen-access review used for pigment stability under pH, heat, light, oxygen and metal exposure.
- Impact of Conventional and Advanced Techniques on Stability of Natural Food ColourantsOpen-access review used for processing and packaging effects on natural colourants.