Chromatographically homogeneous lecithin from egg phospholipids

Abstract

Chromatographically homogeneous egg lecithin, as determined by TLC on Silica Gel G, has been isolated from crude egg phosphatides by column chromatography on alumina through modification of existing, lengthy methods. The modified method involved application of crude egg phosphatides to a column of alumina in the proportion of 1 g phosphatide/25 g alumina, and elution of the lecithin fraction with the 2‐component solvent system chloroform:methanol, 9:1 by vol. This method of purification separated lecithin from other choline and non‐choline components of crude phosphatides, avoided overloading of the alumina column, and made unnecessary the need for a second chromatographic fractionation of partially purified lecithin on silicic acid, which is needed in existing methods of purification of lecithin. The use of fresh yolks permitted easier removal of pigment from the final product than was possible with commercially dried yolks. Phosphatides extracted from dried yolks were much more highly colored than were the phosphatides extracted from fresh yolks and the color presisted through chromatography on alumina. The fatty acid/phosphorus molar ratio of the purified lecithin was 2.00, which is the theoretical FA/P molar ratio of phosphatidylcholine; other materials with this ratio were not present.