Changes in the phospholipid molecular species in water-boiled salted duck during processing based on shotgun lipidomics

Abstract Knowledge of the changes in the phospholipid molecular species during processing is helpful to understanding the complicated mechanisms of lipid degradation and transformation. The shotgun lipidomics strategy was utilized to analyze the phospholipid (PL) molecular species in raw Pekin duck and the subsequent dynamic changes that occur during the processing of water-boiled salted duck (WSD). Only 110 PL molecular species have been identified in raw duck meat, while a total of 119 PL molecular species were identified during processing, including 33 phosphatidylcholines, 22 phosphatidylethanolamines, 13 phosphatidylglycerols, 18 phosphatidylinositols and 33 phosphatidylserines. Most of the content of PL molecular species gradually decreased during processing, while the content of most of the lysophospholipids (LPLs) increased. After reaching a maximum, the LPLs were obviously reduced during the 3 d of dry-ripening. The results showed that processing techniques, such as dry-curing, dry-ripening and boiling, had a significant effect on the changes in the PLs in WSD. We further screened 10 PL molecular markers, which can be used to distinguish different operating units.