Characterization of phospholipid molecular species in the edible parts of bony fish and shellfish.

The phospholipid molecular species of freshwater (pangasius, Nile perch, trout), marine fish fillets (horse mackerel, European hake, common sole, European anchovy, European pilchard, Atlantic mackerel) and the edible muscle foot of bivalves (clam, mussel, oyster) commonly available in the Italian market during spring and summer were characterized by means of normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled online with positive electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry. From principal component analysis (PCA), it was observed that the total fatty acid profile was not suitable to differentiate among the shellfish genera. The fatty acid molecular combinations of phosphatidylcholine, the main phospholipid class, as well as phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine allowed for the differentiation of shellfish from the bony fishes. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen profile allowed for the discrimination of each bony fish or shellfish genus since PS and pPE classes included a large number of fatty acid combinations that were specific for a fish genus or group.