Abstract
The lipidome of a brown seaweed commonly known as wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), which is grown and consumed around the world, including Western countries, as a healthy nutraceutical food or supplement, was here extensively examined. The study was focused on the characterization of phospholipids (PL) and glycolipids (GL) by liquid chromatography (LC), either hydrophilic interaction LC (HILIC) or reversed-phase LC (RPLC), coupled to electrospray ionization (ESI) and mass spectrometry (MS), operated both in high and in low-resolution mode. Through the acquisition of single (MS) and tandem (MS/MS) mass spectra more than 200 PL and GL of U. pinnatifida extracts were characterized in terms of lipid class, fatty acyl (FA) chain composition (length and number of unsaturations), and regiochemistry, namely 16 SQDG, 6 SQMG, 12 DGDG, 5 DGMG, 29 PG, 8 LPG, 19 PI, 14 PA, 19 PE, 8 PE, 38 PC, and 27 LPC. The FA (C16:0) was the most abundant saturated acyl chain, whereas the monounsaturated C18:1 and the polyunsaturated C18:2 and C20:4 chains were the prevailing ones. Odd-numbered acyl chains, iJ., C15:0, C17:0, C19:0, and C19:1, were also recognized. While SQDG exhibited the longest and most unsaturated acyl chains, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3, in the sn-1 position of glycerol, they were preferentially located in the sn-2 position in the case of PL. The developed analytical approach might pave the way to extend lipidomic investigations also for other edible marine algae, thus emphasizing their potential role as a source of bioactive lipids.
Highlights
Undaria pinnatifida is a pluricellular life-form belonging to the group of Algae, composed of more than 30,000 aquatic, oxygen-evolving and photosynthetic autotroph organisms
The study was focused on the characterization of phospholipids (PL) and glycolipids (GL) by liquid chromatography (LC), either hydrophilic interaction LC (HILIC) or reversed-phase LC (RPLC), coupled to electrospray ionization (ESI) and mass spectrometry (MS), operated both in high and in low-resolution mode
The identification of lipids was accomplished using accurate m/z values, retrieved upon averaging the mass spectrum of each chromatographic peak/band, as input values for searches based on the Online Lipid Calculator (OLC, www.mslipidomics.info/lipid-calc/ accessed on 21 April 2021) or the Lipid Maps databases, setting a mass accuracy ≤5 ppm
Summary
Undaria pinnatifida is a pluricellular life-form belonging to the group of Algae, composed of more than 30,000 aquatic, oxygen-evolving and photosynthetic autotroph organisms. It is extensively spread out thanks to the remarkable nutritional properties and epidemiological studies showing health benefits associated with seaweed consumption [3,4]. Like most algae, is rich in minerals as calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, and iodine, vitamins, including vitamin B12, A, C, and E, fibers, and high-value proteins. It represents an excellent source of phospholipids (PL) including fatty acyl chains featuring a valuable ω-3/ω-6 ratio. It is characterized by a remarkable content of extra nutritional compounds, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, and fucoidans. Due to its extensive use, the nutritional properties, along with the occurrence of alkaloid [12] and phenolic compounds [13], the iodine and bromine contents [14], and safety concerns related to arsenic species [15] have been investigated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
