Chlorophyll Removal from Vegetable Extracts using Centrifugal Partition Chromatography

Crude aqueous vegetable leaf extracts contain proteins alongside chlorophyll, alkaloids, terpenes, and other organic compounds. The purpose of this study was to selectively remove these contaminants while retaining the water-soluble protein fraction. A 25ml crude protein extract—equivalent to 18.5% of the column volume—was processed on a 135ml midiLiLi column. The method used an aqueous buffer and water-saturated MTBE in ascending mode with extrusion. The process separated chlorophyll and other organically soluble compounds from the vegetable protein fraction. Chlorophyll, alkaloids, and terpenes were transferred into separate fractions, while a cleaner water-soluble protein fraction was recovered for downstream processing. Key result: CPC selectively removed chlorophyll and other organic contaminants from an aqueous vegetable extract, producing a cleaner protein fraction through a scalable, solvent-efficient process.