Fish is an important nutrition source because its lipids, which are rich in ω-3 fatty acids, are beneficial for human health. Furthermore, fish lipids exhibit a series of potent bioactivities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherogenic activities. However, studies focusing on their detection, characterization, composition, and nutritional value are limited. In this research, we applied a non-targeted lipidomic approach based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear-ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) to comprehensively profile, compare, and detect unknown lipids in eleven types of dietary fish. Characterization of 287 molecular species from five major lipid classes was accomplished by their MS/MS analysis. Multivariate principal component analysis revealed the distinct lipid composition in shishamo smelt and Japanese sardine compared to other fish types. Glycerophospholipids (GPs) were the abundant lipid class followed by glycerolipids in most fish fillets. The assessment of nutritional indices based on the levels of free fatty acid such as index of atherogenicity, P:S ratio, and health promotion index scores suggested that among the ten other fish types, shishamo smelt is highly beneficial for health. Further, lipids such as N-acyl lysophosphatidylethanolamine were detected and characterized for the first time in fish fillets by mass spectrometry (Fig. 1). Hierarchical cluster correlations indicated the predominance of GPs and sphingolipids in sardine, whereas fatty acyls and triacylglycerols (TAGs) were predominant in shishamo smelt. The high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched GPs and TAGs in dietary fish endow it with great potential as a health-promoting food for human consumption. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of lipids and their compositions in fish fillets, demonstrating their potential use in the nutritional assessment of functional foods.

Lipid fingerprinting in eleven species of dietary fish by non-targeted LC/MS

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.