Fast and Specific Screening of EPA/DHA-Enriched Phospholipids in Fish Oil Extracted from Different Species by HILIC-MS.

Eicosapentaenoic acid- and docosahexaenoic acid-enriched phospholipids (PL) have versatile health-beneficial functions and can be well absorbed in the intestine. Herein, a precursor ion scan-driven hydrophilic interaction chromatography mass spectrometry (PreIS-HILIC-MS) method with the fatty acyl moieties of / 301.6 and 327.6 locked was established to specifically and selectively screen PL in different fish oil samples, including saury, grass carp, hairtail, and yellow croaker. Taking saury oil as an example, a total of 24 PL were successfully identified and quantified, including 20 PC and 4 PE. Finally, this method was validated in terms of sensitivity (limit of detection ≤ 4.15 μg·mL), linearity (≥0.9979), precision (RSD ≤ 4.65%), and recovery (≥78.6%). The performance of the PreIS-HILIC-MS method was also compared with that of the traditional full-scan mode, and the former demonstrated its unique superiority in targeted screening of PL in fish oils.