Non-Targeted Screening of Lipophilic Marine Biotoxins by Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Instrument Type: LCMS

Marine biotoxins are produced by naturally occurring microalgae, whose populations can increase significantly under certain environmental conditions to form a harmful algal bloom (HAB). Marine biotoxins pose a significant food safety risk when bioaccumulated in shellfish that are ingested by humans. We describe the use of the Thermo Scientific Exactive benchtop LC/MS system powered by Orbitrap technology for screening lipophilic marine biotoxins commonly found in shellfish. The method was optimized using a standard mixture of marine biotoxins, and then applied to a mussel tissue extract.

Validated Method for the Analysis of Lipophilic Marine Biotoxins in Bivalves by Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Instrument Type: LCMS

A harmful algal bloom is a serious environmental problem that results when the population of microscopic algae in a water system rapidly increases. The algae have the ability to produce marine biotoxins (MBTXs), which are dangerous to humans and other aquatic life. These biotoxins can accumulate in filter-feeding bivalve mollusks and, in turn, pose significant food safety risks to humans who ingest the shellfish, including gastrointestinal illnesses or neurological disorders. We describe a UHPLC with HRMS/MS method that delivers excellent results in the quantitative analysis of MBTXs.