Metabolite Profiling of Laminaria hyperborea using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (HILIC-MS)

Abstract In this work, Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (HILIC-MS) was applied to assess the metabolic profiles of different tissues and industrially relevant co-products of alginate extraction from Laminaria hyperborea samples obtained in different seasons. This is the first metabolomic analysis in L. hyperborea and it allowed the putative identification of 59 metabolites using positive and negative mode MS data, predicted exact mass data and matching with database and literature searches. Another 16 components were detected but these could not be identified as yet. The metabolites ranged from known and abundant components (e.g., iodide, mannitol and various betaines) to components not previously noted in this species. The levels of these components varied between tissues and co-products with some metabolites seemingly specific to certain samples. The components also varied between winter and summer samples, perhaps reflecting seasonality in their biosynthesis and accumulation in the tissues and co-products.Therefore, the method can be used to survey the seasonal metabolomic variation across the full year and thereby track when components of potential specific commercial interest were maximally accumulated and help plan the most efficient exploitation of the harvested biomass. The method could also define variation in components in L. hyperborea from different locations or potential biotopes of this species. This initial work extends our ability to understand the phenotype of seaweeds whilst also identifying new components and new commercial opportunities.