Phospholipids of goat and sheep origin: Structural and functional studies

The lipidomic profiles of goat and sheep meat were studied. Polar lipid fractions of raw and baked meat samples were tested for their in vitro anti-atherogenic properties. The total lipid (TL) content was extracted using the Bligh-Dyer method and was subsequently separated into total polar lipids (TPL) and total neutral lipids (TNL). The fatty acid profiles of the TPL and TNL of all three samples were determined by GC-FID. The TPL of all samples were further separated by preparative TLC into their constituent phospholipid and sphingolipid fractions. In all samples, polar lipid fraction 3 had a similar R_f value to phosphatidylcholine. These phosphatidylcholine fractions were tested for their in vitro capacity to inhibit platelet-activating factor (PAF) induced platelet aggregation (anti-inflammatory activity) using human platelets. The phospholipid content of each fraction 3 was determined using LC–MS. These results provide a novel insight into the structure of phosphatidylcholine derivatives in goat and sheep meat and highlight the nutritional value of these meats in terms of their antithrombotic and cardioprotective properties before and after the baking process.