Lipid peroxidation and chlorophyll levels in spinach during refrigerated storage and after industrial processing

Chlorophylls a, b and pheophytins a, b were quantitatively determined in raw, frozen and canned spinach. About 15.9% was lost during the freezing process and 99.9% after canning as a consequence of the heating used in industrial processing. Pheophytins a and b (3.28 and 3.00 mgkg−1) were the predominant chlorophyll degradation derivatives for samples stored in a refrigerator at 8°C for three weeks. The degradation limit of stored samples was around 13–15 days with 2.54 and 1.30 mg kg−1 for pheophytins a and b, respectively. Lipid peroxidation during spinach senescence, as a consequence of being cold stored or processed, increased particularly during the canning process with 3.40 μmol equivalent MDA.