Seasonal variations in the profile of main phospholipids in Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels: A study by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry

A systematic characterization of phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines in mussels of sp Mytilus galloprovincialis was performed by high‐efficiency hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization and Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS), based on a quadrupole‐Orbitrap hybrid spectrometer. The FTMS/MS experiments under high collisional energy dissociation conditions, complemented by low‐energy collisionally induced dissociation MSn (n = 2,3) experiments, performed in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer, were exploited for structural elucidation purposes. The described approach led to an unprecedented characterization of the mussel phospholipidome, with 185 phosphatidylcholines and 131 phosphatidylethanolamines species recognized, distributed among diacylic, plasmanylic, and plasmenylic forms. This was the starting point for the evaluation of the effects of season (in particular, of sea temperature) on the profile of those phospholipids. To this aim, a set of mussel samples retrieved from commercial sources in different periods of the year was considered. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between samples collected in periods characterized by cold, intermediate, or warm sea temperatures, respectively. In particular, an enrichment in phospholipids containing unsaturated side chains was observed in mussels collected from cold seawaters (winter‐early spring), thus confirming the general model previously elaborated to explain the adaptation of marine invertebrates, including some bivalve molluscs, to low temperatures. On the other hand, relevant levels of plasma(e)nylic and acylic phospholipids bearing either saturated or non‐methylene‐interrupted side chains were found in mussels collected in warm seawaters (typical of summer and early autumn, at Italian latitudes). This finding opened interesting perspectives towards the development of strategies able to prevent global warming–related mussel losses in aquacultural plants.