Gomes, Leonardo CorrêaMolina, Adriana K.Novais, CláudiaPereira, CarlaDias, Maria InêsPrieto Lage, Miguel A.Simal-Gandara, JesusFerreira, Isabel C.F.R.Barros, Lillian2022-07-212022-07-212022http://hdl.handle.net/10198/25704The increasing worldwide consumption of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme) is explained by the great acceptability by the consumer, along with the ease in its trade and distribution. Despite being a fruit that provides essential nutrients such as lycopene, vitamin C, and phenolic acids, its consumption is closely related to its sensory characteristics such as taste, color, and appearance. Nevertheless, along the production chain, some by-products are not used and are, therefore, discarded, generating large amounts of bio-residues [1–3]. The use of such bio-residues, namely the aerial parts, as a source of valuable compounds that can find other applications in food industry as, for example, food colorants, is a growing tendency. In this context, the following work aimed to explore the hydroethanolic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of cherry tomato, in terms of chlorophylls. For this purpose, two extraction methodologies were used, namely ultrasound assisted extraction for 15 minutes at 400 W and maceration assisted extraction for 120 minutes, both using 90% ethanol (v/v) as solvent. The chlorophyll pigments were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS. Chlorophyll a, b, and their isomers (a’ e b’) were identified in both extracts, as well as direct derivatives of chlorophyll and phaeophytin a and a’, compounds commonly found in fruits of cherry cultivars. Regarding ultrasound assisted extraction, the most expressive compounds found were chlorophyll b and its b’ isomer. As for maceration assisted extraction, chlorophylls a and b were the most abundant compounds in the extract. These results demonstrate the great potential of using cherry tomato by-products as sources of natural pigments, presenting a basis for deeper investigations regarding the optimal extraction conditions of chlorophylls and their possible uses within several industrial sectors.engSolanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiformeconference object