Separation and characterization of peanut phospholipid molecular species using high-performance liquid chromatography and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Total lipid extracts from peanut seed were separated on a silica column into a triacylglycerol fraction and a polar lipid fraction by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The polar fraction containing the phospholipids was retained on the precolumn, and the triacylglycerol fraction was eluted to a waste flask by a special valve arrangement. Phospholipids were eluted from the precolumn and separated into various classes on a silica analytical column. Each phospholipid class was manually collected and subsequently subjected to reversed‐phase HPLC in tandem with a fast atom bombardment mass spectrometer. Phosphatidylethanolamine was separated into five molecular species. Phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine were each separated into six molecular species.