Determination of Phosphatidylcholine in Shrimp by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

<p>The molecular species of phosphatidylcholine from freshwater sources (<i>Macrobranchium nipponense</i> and <i>Macrobranchium rosenbergii</i>) and marine sources (<i>Euphausia superba</i> and <i>Penaeus chinesis</i>) were characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The tandem secondary mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragmentation allowed for the identification of fatty acyl residues of phosphatidylcholine molecular species. (16:0–18:1)Phosphatidylcholine was the main phosphatidylcholine molecular species determined in all shrimp samples, especially in <i>E. superba. Macrobranchium rosenbergii</i> phosphatidylcholine was particularly rich in (16:0–20:5)phosphatidylcholine and (16:0–22:6)phosphatidylcholine. The proportion of the two molecular species was next to the phosphatidylcholine of <i>E. superba</i>. Therefore, <i>M. rosenbergii</i> appears to be a potential freshwater source for the supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6). This approach may be used as an efficient method for the identification of natural phosphatidylcholine sources from the broad range of plant, animal, and marine origins.