Composition and structure of phospholipids in chicken muscle tissues

Lipids extracted from breast muscle and thigh muscle of one‐year old chickens on a standard MSU‐Z‐4 diet have been fractionated by silicic acid column chromatography into nonphospholipids, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl choline (lecithin), and sphingomyelins. Phospholipid fractions were identified by thin‐layer chromatography and the quantity of each determined by gravimetric analysis, analysis of the phosphorus content, and infrared spectra. The phospholipid content of thigh muscle (dark meat) lipids was higher than that in the breast muscle (white meat). Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were found in relatively greater amts than phosphatidyl serine and sphingomyelins. Enzymatic hydrolysis followed by gas‐liquid chromatographic analysis of the fatty acids liberated and those in the lysocompounds was used to establish the positional specificity of the fatty acids in the phosphoglycerides. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are located primarily at the ॆ‐position and the saturated fatty acids at the ॅ艂‐position. The qualitative and quantiative determination of the plasmalogens was also accomplished.