PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE LEVELS AND THEIR FATTY ACID COMPOSITIONS IN SQUID EGG: A COMPARISON STUDY WITH POLLACK ROE AND STURGEON CAVIAR

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The content of total lipids (TLs), composition of phospholipids (PLs) and main fatty acids of phosphatidylcholine (PC) were determined in egg of squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, roe of Alaska pollack Theragra chatcogramma and caviar of sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedti. The PL content of squid egg (72.0 ± 3.2% of TL) was higher than the other two kinds of fish eggs. A high-performance liquid chromatography/evaporate light-scattering detector method was used for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the PLs. The PC content of squid egg (67.50 ± 0.55% of PL) was the highest. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) percentage of PC in squid egg (40.0 ± 0.4 mol %) was much higher than others. The results indicated that squid egg could be used as a new source of PC rich in DHA.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study compares the phospholipids in egg from the squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis with two kinds of known fish eggs. The squid source was abundant in phospholipids, but it is not fully utilized because of the low-edible value of the meat. The analysis of the phospholipid classes was carried out by using a high-performance liquid chromatography/evaporative light-scattering detector. The method has been used in the dairy industry, but is not so common in fish product evaluation. Our results showed that it is quick and sensitive in detecting the fish and shellfish egg phospholipids. Squid egg contained a large amount of phosphatidylcholine and was rich in docosahexaenoic acid, thus may serve as a novel functional lipid for health promotion. Therefore, squid egg may serve as a valuable good source of functional lipids.