Effect of additives on chlorophyll content in wet lpc prepared from juice of Medicago sativa Linn.

Studies on the storage of leaf juice revealed that catabolism of juice starts immediately after its extraction, leading to breakdown of proteins and chlorophyll pigments in it. If the leaf juice is not employed for the preparation of LPC immediately after its extraction, the yield of LPC decreases with the time of storage. Therefore, preparation of LPC from juice immediately after its release is suggested. However, if the delay in preparation is unavoidable, additives like formic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and sodium metabisulphite may be employed, which prevent catabolic losses to some extent without affecting the recovery of leaf protein (LP).