Characterization of lipid composition in the muscle tissue of four shrimp species commonly consumed in China by UPLC−Triple TOF−MS/MS

Abstract

In this study, comprehensive lipid composition in the muscle tissue of four popularly consumed shrimp species was determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC−Triple TOF−MS/MS). About 600 molecules from 14 types of lipids were characterized and quantified. Phospholipids (PLs) were the main component in all four shrimp species (51.4–71.0% of total lipids). Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were the major PL subclasses (49.3–53.2% and 42.3–48.4% of total PLs). Triacylglycerol (TAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) contents were relatively low (8.6–32.5% and 11.5–14.1% of total lipids). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) were dominant in free fatty acids (76.5–85.2%) and PL. Sphingolipid (SL) was detected in low content (<5% of total lipids). Using high throughput analytical method, detailed lipid composition in shrimp muscle were obtained, which could help to assess shrimp nutrition value and identify their species.