Profiling lipid extracted from coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) meat using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract

Natural phospholipids are essential biomolecules found in plants and animals. They play a crucial role in cell membrane development and have wide-ranging applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a comprehensive profiling of natural lipids obtained from coconut meat, focusing on glycerophospholipids (GP) and their molecular species, which have not been explored in previous research. Lipid extraction was performed, followed by profiling with advanced liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LCHRMS). LCHRMS was performed using a Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ operating in Full MS/DDMS2 TOP N acquisition mode to ensure highly precise and accurate compound identification. About 63.49 % of all lipids were identified, primarily comprising GP (49.60 %), fatty acids (FA; 7.80 %), and glycerolipids (5.87 %). Glycerophospholipids (GP) were the predominant compounds, which include phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidic acid (PA), with PC being the dominant species having 39.80 % prevalence. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 18:1 was the most abundant molecular species, while PE 18:1_18:2 and PC 10:0_14:0 had the highest molecular weights at 741.529 and 621.436 g/mol, respectively. Both medium-chain (MCFA) and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) were present. This study enriches the natural lipid database and highlights GP as a potential phospholipid source for future technological and food-specific innovations.