The composition of the fatty acids and aldehydes of the ethanolamine and choline phospholipids of various meats

The ethanolamine phospholipids of beef, lamb, pork and chicken examined in this study contained over 40% of ethanolamine plasmalogen, whereas fish contained only 13%. The level of choline plasmalogen in choline phospholipids was less than 1% in fish and ranged from 10 to 30% in the other four meats. Palmitaldehyde was the major fatty aldehyde in the choline plasmalogens of beef, lamb, pork and chicken (65–80% of total aldehydes), but was present at lower levels in the ethanolamine plasmalogens. The per cent fatty acid compositions of phosphatidylethanolamine and the corresponding ethanolamine plasmalogen were very similar, being typically low in palmitic acid but very high (56–74%) in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids of the choline plasmalogens contained more polyunsaturated fatty acids than the corresponding phosphatidyl cholines, but at lower levels than in the fatty acids of the ethanolamine phospholipids.