Premium
Profiling and quantitative analysis of underivatized fatty acids in Chlorella vulgaris microalgae by liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Montone Carmela Maria,
Aita Sara Elsa,
Catani Martina,
Cavaliere Chiara,
Cerrato Andrea,
Piovesana Susy,
Laganà Aldo,
Capriotti Anna Laura
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.202100306
Subject(s) - chromatography , chlorella vulgaris , mass spectrometry , chemistry , liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry , resolution (logic) , high resolution , gas chromatography , quantitative analysis (chemistry) , algae , biology , botany , remote sensing , artificial intelligence , computer science , geology
Chlorella vulgaris is a popular microalga used for biofuel production; nevertheless, it possesses a strong cell wall that hinders the extraction of molecules, especially lipids within the cell wall. For tackling this issue, we developed an efficient and cost‐effective method for optimal lipid extraction. Microlaga cell disruption by acid hydrolysis was investigated comparing different temperatures and reaction times; after hydrolysis, lipids were extracted with n ‐hexane. The best recoveries were obtained at 140°C for 90 min. The microalgae were then analyzed by an untargeted approach based on liquid chromatography with high‐resolution mass spectrometry, providing the tentative identification of 28 fatty acids. First, a relative quantification on the untargeted data was performed using peak area as a surrogate of analyte abundance. Then, a targeted quantitative method was validated for the tentatively identified fatty acids, in terms of recovery (78‐100%), intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations (<10 and <9%, respectively) and linearity ( R 2 > 0.98). The most abundant fatty acids were palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and stearic acids.