Identification of very long chain fatty acids by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization liquid chromatography‐mass spectroscopy from green alga Chlorella kessleri

Abstract A method is described for the enrichment of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) from total fatty acids of heterotrophically cultivated green freshwater alga Chlorella kessleri and their identification as picolinyl esters by means of liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC‐MS with APCI). The method is based on the use of preparative reversed phase HPLC of hundred‐milligram amounts and their subsequent identification by microbore APCI LC‐MS. A combination of these two techniques was used to identify unusual VLCFAs up to C47, both saturated and monounsaturated, with two positional isomers (ω‐9 and ω‐26).