Determination of Phospholipids in Food Samples

Phospholipids (PLs), the most important class of polar lipids in foods, are ubiquitous compounds because they are the major components of animal and plant cell membranes. Their technological and biological properties therefore make them important in human nutrition. The efficient separation and accurate quantification of PLs can be achieved with high-performance liquid chromatography–evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) because ELSD is a quasi-universal detector for liquid, countercurrent, and supercritical fluid chromatography and can detect any analyte less volatile than the mobile phase. In this article, the principles of ELSD operation (i.e., nebulization of the chromatographic effluent, evaporation of the mobile phase, and measurement of the scattered light) as well as the application of LC-ELSD to determine the amount of PLs in different food matrices are reviewed. Food matrices containing PLs include milk and dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, cereals, and oils. Both the technological aspects and analytical parameters affecting the concentration and quantitative determination of PLs in food matrices are evaluated. In particular, different extraction, purification, and chromatographic conditions were extensively investigated; moreover, wherever possible, the results obtained are reported and compared with other detection methods.