• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.429-435
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• 2024

Palytoxin (PLTX) is one of the most potent marine biotoxins and is primarily produced by species such as Ostreopsis, Palythoa, and Trichodesmium. This study investigates the PLTX contamination levels in shellfish distributed in Korea, an area where such contamination may pose a significant public health risk. With the increasing spread of toxic species owing to climate change, concerns regarding the presence of PLTX in edible seafood are rising. Shellfish samples were collected from various coastal regions in Korea between March and June 2023. The analysis of shellfish samples using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry showed no detectable levels of PLTX, indicating that shellfish distributed in Korea are not contaminated with PLTX. Thus, this finding suggests that consumption of Korean shellfish is safe.