Comparative analysis of phospholipid profiles in egg yolk, yolk plasma, and yolk granules using quantitative lipidomics.

Abstract

Egg yolk (EY), yolk plasma (EYP), and yolk granules (EYG) differ structurally and compositionally, but the molecular heterogeneity of their phospholipids remains unclear. Phospholipids were extracted by ultrasound-assisted organic solvents and characterized using quantitative lipidomics. Phospholipids accounted for 29.7%, 31.4%, and 61.9% of total lipids in EY, EYP, and EYG, respectively. Among 1,115 lipid molecules assigned to 30 subclasses in the phospholipid-enriched extracts, phosphatidylcholine (PC), hexosylceramides (HexCer), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidic acid (PA), and ceramides (Cer) represented 86.9 to 89.7% of total lipid abundance. EYP-derived phospholipids (P-PL) were enriched in PC and phosphatidylserine (PS), whereas EYG-derived phospholipids (G-PL) contained higher glycosphingolipid and sphingomyelin abundances. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was predominantly esterified in PE (42.3 to 60.6%), with the highest proportion in EYG. These findings provide a molecular basis for differentiated utilization of egg yolk fractions, while further studies using diverse egg sources and biological models are needed to clarify their nutritional significance.

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