Molecular species composition of the major diacyl glycerophospholipids from muscle, liver, retina and brain of cod ( Gadus morhua )

The molecular species composition of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) from white muscle, liver, retina and brain of cod ( Gadus morhua ) were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography of the respective 1,2‐diacylglycerol 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl derivatives. A minimum of 69 diacyl species was identified. In muscle and liver saturated fatty acid/polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid/PUFA molecular species were predominant, particularly 16∶0/20∶5 and 16∶0/22∶6 in PC, 16∶0/22∶6 and 18∶1/22∶6 in PE and 18∶0/22∶6 and 18∶1/22∶6 in PS. Didocosahexaenoyl species were major components of PC, PE and PS from retina, comprising 29.3, 71.8 and 59.7% of the respective totals. Didocosahexaenoyl species were also abundant in PE and PS from brain, accounting for 13.8 and 24.0% of the totals, respectively. DiPUFA species were important in muscle, totalling 21.2% in PC and 38.3% in PE. PC from all tissues had the largest amounts of species containing only saturated or monounsaturated fatty acids, accounting for 59.8% of PC from brain, including 12.8% of 18∶1/24∶1 plus 24∶1/18∶1.