Optimization of parameters of high-performance displacement chromatography for separation of soybean phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine

Hundred milligrams of soybean phospholipids were successfully separated by using high-performance displacement chromatography (HPDC) on a 150 mm × 4.6 mm analytical silica column (3–5 μm packings) with dichloromethane–methanol (9:1, v/v) as carrier and ethanolamine as displacer. From the viewpoint of preparative separation, the effects of loading amount, concentration and flow-rate of displacer on separation efficiency were investigated using throughput and recovery as indices. The parameters were optimized by orthogonal test design and statistical analysis method. Under the optimum conditions, namely displacer concentration being 167 mM, the flow-rate of displacer at 0.2 ml/min and concentration of sample being 211 mg/ml (factual loading amount 211 mg/ml × 0.7 ml = 148 mg), the purity, throughput and recovery of obtained soybean phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were 80.2%, 65.7 mg/h, 70.9% and 90.5%, 272.6 mg/h, 88.3%, respectively. In addition, selections of regenerant and appropriate regeneration condition were also studied.