Abstract:

In this study, fresh green prickleyashes were employed as experimental materials. Investigations were carried outto explore the effect of different drying conditions (oil vacuoles were damaged or intact after drying at 45 ℃; drying at 25 ℃in the shade) and the integrity of oil vacuoles on the color of green prickleyashes during drying process. The results showedthat all the drying conditions had some effects on the color of green prickleyashes. Samples with damaged oil vacuolesshowed the severest browning, followed by those dried in the shade, and the integral oil vacuoles could help protect the colorto some degree. The black-brown color of dried green prickleyashes with damaged oil vacuoles and those dried in the shademay attributed to the abundant generation of pheophorbide a and pyropheophorbide a. The color of dried green prickleyasheswas highly significantly positively correlated with the contents of Chl a and Chl b (P ＜ 0.01).

Key words: green prickleyash, color, dry, chlorophyll breakdown