Comparison of AOAC 2005.06 LC official method with other methodologies for the quantitation of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in UK shellfish species

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2011-01, Vol.399 (3), p.1257-1270
• Main Authors: Turner, Andrew D, Hatfield, Robert G, Rapkova, Monika, Higman, Wendy, Algoet, Myriam, Suarez-Isla, Benjamin A, Cordova, Marco, Caceres, Catherine, van de Riet, Jeffrey, Gibbs, Ryan, Thomas, Krista, Quilliam, Michael, Lees, David N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Analytical Chemistry; Animals; AOAC 2005.06; Applied sciences; Biochemistry; Biological assay; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical properties; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid; Comparative analysis; Dinoflagellates; Exact sciences and technology; Examinations; Fluorescence spectroscopy; Food Analysis - methods; Food Science; Global environmental pollution; Health aspects; Laboratory Medicine; Laws, regulations and rules; Liquid chromatography; Marine toxins; Marine Toxins - analysis; Mass spectrometry; Methods; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Mouse bioassay; Original Paper; Other chromatographic methods; oysters; Paralytic shellfish poisoning; Pollution; Reproducibility of Results; Saxitoxin; Shellfish; Shellfish Poisoning; Species Specificity; Spectrometric and optical methods; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; United Kingdom; Validity
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-010-4428-7

A refined version of the pre-column oxidation liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (ox-LC-FLD) official method AOAC 2005.06 was developed in the UK and validated for the determination of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in UK shellfish. Analysis was undertaken here for the comparison of PSP toxicities determined using the LC method for a range of UK bivalve shellfish species against the official European reference method, the PSP mouse bioassay (MBA, AOAC 959.08). Comparative results indicated a good correlation in results for some species (mussels, cockles and clams) but a poor correlation for two species of oysters (Pacific oysters and native oysters), where the LC results in terms of total saxitoxin equivalents were found to be on average more than double the values determined by MBA. With the potential for either LC over-estimation or MBA under-estimation, additional oyster and mussel samples were analysed using MBA and ox-LC-FLD together with further analytical and functional methodologies: a post-column oxidation LC method (LC-ox-FLD), an electrophysiological assay and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection. Results highlighted a good correlation among non-bioassay results, indicating a likely cause of difference was the under-estimation in the MBA, rather than an over-estimation in the LC results. [graphic removed]