Desarrollo de un protocolo optimizado para la purificación y caracterización de la lecitina extraída de la yema de huevo

Abstract

In this study, an accessible and sustainable protocol was developed and optimized for the extraction, purification, and characterization of lecithin from egg yolk, using basic laboratory infrastructure.The process began with extraction using ethanol: ether mixtures, followed by purification via Sílica gel column chromatography. Subsequently, the methodology was optimized by incorporating glycerol as an environmentally friendly solvent. This solvent was used to progressively decrease the proportion of ether and to reduce the need for large amounts of chloroform, acetone, and methanol used for column chromatography purification.With the incorporation of glycerol, a methodology was proposed that enabled the selective separation of some of the phospholipids present in the lecithin.The lecithin extracted by the different methods was characterized by thin-layer chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, assigning characteristic bands for N–H stretching (3438 cm⁻¹), C–H vibrations (2928 and 2851 cm⁻¹), C=O carbonyl (1740 cm⁻¹), phosphodiester groups (1248 and 1087 cm⁻¹), and specific signals for phosphatidylcholine (970 cm⁻¹) and phosphatidylethanolamine (N–H bending vibrations at 1640 and 1560 cm⁻¹). As a final result, a glycerol-based methodology was optimized, which allowed for the selective isolation of phosphatidylethanolamine and significantly reduced other contaminating lipids such as triglycerides. This made it possible to obtain a cleaner extract at lower cost through a new reproducible, economical, and eco-friendly method, with a positive impact on the reduction of toxic solvents.