Plasmalogens, fatty acids and alkyl glyceryl ethers of marine and freshwater clams and mussels
Introduction
Marine and freshwater two-part shell mollusks, in which both valves are typically symmetrical along the hinge line, belong to the class Bivalves (they are also under names Pelecypoda, and/or Lamellibranchia). The words “clams, mussels, scallops and oysters” have no real taxonomic significance in biology, but in cookery these words have absolutely definite significance, and are associated with savoury food (Fernandez, Garcia, Asensio, Rodriguez, & Lobo, 2001). Edible bivalves, clams and mussels are mainly marine species with a few well-known freshwater representatives. They are widely used as nutriment around the world (Ackman, 2000), and they are present at food market for about 100 years.
It is well-known that smell and savour of food results from aldehydes, which are liberated from plasmalogens (both neutral and polar lipids) and/or free ones (usually rare) under cooking conditions of any animals and/or invertebrates (Le Cloirec, 2006). Plasmalogens of marine Bivalvia species have been well studied (Berdyshev, 1989, Dembitsky, 1979, Dembitsky and Vaskovsky, 1976, Kraffe et al., 2004, Kraffe et al., 2006), and a few papers also investigated plasmalogens isolated from freshwater (Dembitsky et al., 1992, Dembitsky et al., 1993a), as well as from brackish (Dembitsky, Rezanka, & Kashin, 1993b) Bivalvia.
Plasmalogen lipids are particular phospholipids characterised by the presence of vinyl ether bond at the C1 position of glycerol skeleton. Serving as structural component of mammalian and invertebrate cell membrane, plasmalogen is widely distributed in excitable tissues, like heart and brain. Plasmalogens mediate dynamics of cell membrane, they provide storage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and can contribute to endogenous antioxidant activity (Brosche, Brueckmann, Haase, Sieber, & Bertsch, 2007). Plasmalogen phospholipids are also suggested to be involved in signal transduction (Latorre, Collado, Fernandez, Aragones, & Catalan, 2003).
Taking into account the growing interest for food plasmalogens and an insufficient data concerning Bivalvia lipids, fatty aldehydes, and fatty acids, we characterised the plasmalogenic phospholipids, and other lipid profiles in edible Bivalvia species from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Sea of Galilee.
The benefits of including omega-3 fatty acids in the diets of humans are well documented. Fatty acids play a major role in the functioning of the immune system and the maintenance of all hormonal systems of the organism. Marine and freshwater clams and mussels are an excellent source of both docosahexaenoic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. Bivalves are one of the most popular treats in East as well as in West Mediterranean couisine.
Section snippets
Clams and mussels samples (class Bivalvia)
Eight clams and mussels were sampled. Marine species were collected from the Mediterranean Sea (Haifa bay, September 2006): Donax trunculus (Linnaeus, order Veneroida, family Donacidae), Mactra corallina (Linnaeus, order Veneroida, family Apoidea), and Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck = Mytilus edulis, Mytilus trossulus, family Mytilidae Rafinesque), from the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba, October 2005): Callista florida (Lamarck, order Veneroida, family Veneridae Rafinesque), and Pteria aegyptia
Results and discussion
The general lipid compositions from the clams and mussels are given in Table 1. Total lipids fluctuated from 30 to 56 mg/g dry wt. Results of analysis by TLC showed that the main lipids in clams and mussels were triacylglycerides (TAG), free fatty acids (FFA), sterols (ST), and phospholipids (PL). The contents of these compounds, relative to neutral lipid, were 35–69% for TAG, 0–10% for FFA, 1–48% for ST, and 10–35% for neutral plasmalogens. Furthermore, we analysed PL using a thin layer
References (47)
- et al.
Role of fatty acids in cultured mussels, Mytilus edulis, grown in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
(2007) - et al.
Fatty acid composition in deep hydrothermal vent symbiotic bivalves
Journal of Lipid Research
(1992) - et al.
The Chilean scallop Argopecten purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819): I. Fatty acid composition and lipid content of six organs
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1999) Quantification of plasmalogen, alkyl-acyl- and diacyl- glycerolipids by micro-thin-layer chromatography
Journal of Chromatography
(1988)- et al.
Comparative investigation of plasmalogens, alkyl-acyl-, and diacyl glycerophospholipids of marine sponges (Type Porifera, Class Demospongiae)
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1989) - et al.
Comparative investigation of phospholipids and fatty acids of freshwater molluscs from the Volga river basin
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1992) - et al.
Fatty acid and phospholipid compositions of freshwater molluscs Anadonta piscinalis and Limnaea fragilis from the river Volga
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1993) - et al.
Comparative examination of phospholipids and fatty acids from some Caspian invertebrates
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1993) - et al.
Comparative study of the endemic freshwater fauna of lake Baikal. 2. Unusual lipid composition of two sponge species Baicalospongia bacillifera and Baicalospongia intermedia (family Lubomirskiidae, class Demospongiae)
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
(1993) - et al.
Distribution of polar lipids in marine, brackish and freshwater green macrophytes
Phytochemistry
(1996)
Separation and identification of hydrocarbons and other volatile compounds from cultured blue-green alga Nostoc sp. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using serially coupled capillary columns with consecutive nonpolar and semipolar stationary phases
Journal of Chromatography
Lipids and fatty acids of the mussel (Mytilus platensis d’Orbigny) from South Atlantic waters
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Fatty acid profiles of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk) mussel of subtidal and rocky shore origin
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
Identification of minor fatty acids in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) by GC–MS of their 2-alkenyl-4, 4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives
Analytica Chimica Acta
Variability of fatty acid components of marine and freshwater gastropod species from the littoral zone of the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Sea of Galilee
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology
A descriptive method for sensory evaluation of mussels
Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und Technologie
A study of glyceryl ethers-I. Content of α-glyceryl ethers in marine invertebrates from the sea of Japan and tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
Effects of mechanical handling, storage on ice and ascorbic acid treatment on lipid oxidation in cultured Newfoundland blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Food Chemistry
Characterization of odorant compounds of mussels (Mytilus edulis) according to their origin using gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
Journal of Chromatography
Effect of cobalt ions on the metabolism of some volatile and polar compounds in the marine invertebrates Mytilus galloprovincialis and Actinia equina
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
Seasonal changes of the lipids of the mollusk Chlamys tehuelcha
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
The α-glyceryl ether lipids occurring in molluscan tissues
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
Fatty acids in fish and shellfish
Cited by (53)
Sexual dimorphism in the gonad lipidome of blue mussels (Mytilus sp.): New insights from a global lipidomics approach
2023, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part D: Genomics and ProteomicsLipidomics of common octopus' (Octopus vulgaris) arm muscle using untargeted high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
2023, Journal of Food Composition and AnalysisCompositional study of plasmalogens in clam (Corbicula fluminea) by TiO<inf>2</inf>/KCC-1 extraction, enzymatic purification, and lipidomics analysis
2021, Journal of Food Composition and AnalysisBig game cervid meat as a potential good source of plasmalogens for functional foods
2021, Journal of Food Composition and AnalysisPlasmalogen fingerprint alteration and content reduction in beef during boiling, roasting, and frying
2020, Food ChemistryCitation Excerpt :Thus, there is growing interest in research on dietary plasmalogen supplementation. Plasmalogens are abundant in fresh meat (such as beef, chicken, pork, and sheep), fish (such as salmon, anchovy, hake, and trout), and shellfish (such as oyster, scallop, clam, and mussel) (Boselli, Pacetti, Lucci, & Frega, 2012; Getz, Bartley, Lurie, & Notton, 1968; Hanuš, Levitsky, Shkrob, & Dembitsky, 2009; Yamashita et al., 2016). Most of the aforementioned meats are thoroughly cooked to ensure microbiological safety and enhance flavor.