Quantification of sphingolipids in soybeans

Abstract

AbstractSoybean is believed to be a rich source of sphingolipids, a class of polar lipids with desirable biological activities. Analytical methods for sphingolipids vary, and quantitative data for sphingolipids in foods, including soybeans, are scarce. the objectives of this study were to establish a method for quantification of sphingolipids in soybeans and to determine whether genotype, stage of maturity, and growing location affect sphingolipid content in soybeans. Separation of neutral lipids and interfering polar lipids from sphingolipids by saponification, transesterification, and solvent partition was studied. Solvent partition accompanied by TLC purification was determined to be the most accurate sample preparation method for HPLC quantification of cerebroside. There were significant differences in cerebroside concentration among genotypes, with a range of 142 to 492 nmol/g seed (dry wt basis). The differences in cerebroside concentration between immature and mature seeds of one genotype and between two seed production locations of one genotype were considerable but not statistically significant.