• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.174-180
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• 2020

The mouse bioassay has been used widely for the monitoring of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in many countries. However, this method shows low sensitivity and high limit of detection (LOD), as well as it cannot confirm toxic profiles. Recently, LC-MS/MS method was studied for the quantitative of PSTs, however, the method has any problems with unstable retention times by ionization suppression caused by high salt concentration in shellfish extracts. To establish an alternative method for PSTs analysis, we tried to original LC-MS/MS methods adding desalting operation using amorphous graphitized polymer carbon solid-phase extraction cartridges. The method validation was conducted to determine linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, and precision in quantifying PSTs. The correlation coefficients for all tested PSTs maintained over 0.999. The LODs and LOQs for all PSTs were about 0.19-1.05 ㎍/kg and 0.58-3.18 ㎍/kg, respectively. The accuracies for PSTs were 95.4-107.7% for saxitoxin group, 97.1-100.9% for gonyautoxin group, 99.0-100.8% for N-sulfocarbamoyl toxin group, and 96.8-104.6% for decarbamoyl toxin group. These results indicate that the modified LC-MS/MS method was appropriate for analyzing the PSTs in shellfish and tunicates.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2013

The mouse bioassay and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) post-column oxidation method are different methods of quantifying paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. In this study, we compared their ability to accurately quantify the toxicity levels in two types of field sample (oysters and mussels) with different toxin profiles for routine regulatory monitoring. A total of 72 samples were analyzed by both methods, 44 of which gave negative results, with readings under the limit of detection of the mouse bioassay ($40{\mu}g/100g$ saxitoxin [STX] eq). In 14 oysters, the major toxin components were gonyautoxin (GTX) 1, -2, -3, -4, -5, decarbamoylgonyautoxin-2 (dcGTX2), and decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX), while 14 mussels tested positive for dcSTX, GTX2, -3, -4, -5, dcGTX2, neosaxitoxin (NEO), STX, and dcSTX. When the results obtained by both methods were compared in two matrices, a better correlation ($r^2=0.9478$) was obtained for mussels than for oysters ($r^2=0.8244$). Additional studies are therefore needed in oysters to investigate the differences in the results obtained by both methods. Importantly, some samples with toxin levels around the legal limit gave inconsistent results using HPLC-based techniques, which could have a strong economic impact due to enforced harvest area closure. It should therefore be determined if all paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins can be quantified accurately by HPLC, and if the uncertainties of the method lead to doubts regarding regulatory limits.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.137-142
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• 2013

To understand critical aspects of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in a chief area of bivalve production in Korea, seasonal variation in PSP toxins in bivalves collected from Jinhae Bay, Korea in 2009 was surveyed by the pre-column high-performance liquid chromatography oxidation method. We also confirmed the profiles of major bivalves such as oysters Crassostrea gigas and mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis in Jinhae Bay. PSP toxins in the bivalves showed remarkable seasonal variation. PSP toxin levels were detected from April to May in 2009, and the highest total toxin levels at all stations were recorded in May. The major toxins in bivalves were gonyautoxin [GTX] 1&4 and C 1&2; in oysters GTX 2&3 were also detected as major components. GTX 1&4, which showed the highest PSP toxin levels at each station, accounted for the highest proportions of toxin components in mussels and oysters (64.5-71.3% and 41.4-42.4%, respectively). It was also confirmed that the highest toxicity (in ${\mu}g$ saxitoxin [STX] eq/g) was derived from GTX 1&4. The highest total toxicity (in ${\mu}g$ STX eq/g) was approximately 2-8-fold higher in mussels than in oysters collected from the same station. PSP toxin levels in bivalves differed significantly according to the sample collection station. However, the profiles of toxins in the bivalves did not show significant differences during the survey period according to sample collection station. This study shows that PSP toxin levels in some samples from Jinhae Bay were above the regulatory limit in Korea during a specific period in spring.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2000

The toxicity and toxin composition between blue mussel, Mytilus edulis and oyster, Crassostrea gigas collected at Woepori in Ko je island in South Coast of Korea in 1996 and 1997 were compared. The highest toxicity score was about 10 times higher in blue mussel than oyster (blue mussel, 8,670 $\mu\textrm{g}$; oyster, 860$\mu\textrm{g}$ in 1996, blue mussel, 5,657 $\mu\textrm{g}$/100g in 1997). The blue mussel also retained its toxicity for slightly longer period than oyster. In the both shellfish, PSP was composed almost exclusively of C toxicity (Cl and C2, 20~65%) and gonyautoxins (GTXl, 2, 3, and 4, 38~78%). In the early period of toxin accumulation, the ratio of 11$\beta$-epimer toxins (C2, GTX4) whose amount was 25~56 mole% (5th March to 12th April in 1996) and 25~80 mole% (18th March to 7th April in 1997), were higher than that of 11-epimer toxins (Cl, GTX2) whose amount was 41~57 mol%(27th May to 3rd June in 1996) and 25~56 mole% (29th April to 12th May in 1997), became higher than that of 11-epimer toxins. The toxin compositions in the both samples changed on a daily basis, presumably owing to metabolism of the toxin in the bivalves.