叶绿素（Chl）是一种天然色素，广泛分布于从光合原核生物到高等植物，全世界年产量高达12亿吨。在自然界中观察到五种类型的叶绿素，可以使用光谱法和质谱法来区分和识别。叶绿素还因其生物活性而用于食品工业，包括预防肥胖、减少炎症、抑制病毒感染、抗癌作用、抗氧化和免疫刺激特性。它在食品工业中作为着色剂和膳食补充剂具有巨大的应用潜力。然而，叶绿素在各种酶促、酸性、热、光条件下不稳定，限制了其应用。尽管已经提出了一些策略来克服这些限制，例如与其他食品成分聚集、微胶囊化和金属阳离子替代，但它们仍然不足以促进其广泛应用。因此，叶绿素的稳定策略和生物活性需要有望扩大其在各个领域的应用，从而有助于人类的可持续发展。

Chlorophyll (Chl) is a natural pigment, widely distributed ranging from photosynthetic prokaryotes to higher plants, with an annual yield of up to 1.2 billion tons worldwide. Five types of Chls are observed in nature, that can be distinguished and identified using spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Chl is also used in the food industry owing to its bioactivities, including obesity prevention, inflammation reduction, viral infection inhibition, anticancer effects, anti-oxidation, and immunostimulatory properties. It has great potential of being applied as a colorant and dietary supplement in the food industry. However, Chl is unstable under various enzymatic, acidic, heat, and light conditions, which limit its application. Although some strategies, such as aggregation with other food components, microencapsulation, and metal cation replacement, have been proposed to overcome these limitations, they are still not enough to facilitate its widespread application. Therefore, stabilization strategies and bioactivities of Chl need to be expected to expand its application in various fields, thereby aiding in the sustainable development of mankind.