The presence of marine toxins in shellfish products could lead to fatal food poisoning. Monitoring programs to control levels of toxins establish monthly or even weekly sampling in production areas. Opening or closure of harvest areas would depend upon the results obtained. Post-harvest and end product testing is also carried out in some countries. Currently, paralytic (saxitoxins), ammesic (domoic acid) and lipophilic toxins (okadaic acid and derivatives, yessotoxins, pectenotoxins and azaspirazids) are legislated.
Single Laboratory Validation of A Ready-to-Use Phosphatase Inhibition Assay for Detection of Okadaic Acid Toxins
Toxins.
2012, 4, 339-352;
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/4/5/339/pdf
PP2A (protein phosphatase) technique appears satisfactory for the analysis of DSP toxins in shellfish and is recommended as a rapid assay method for screening and end product testing.
This is one of the conclusions raised from a study carried out within the water project http://www.nppwater.com/index.php
Mussel samples from the biotoxins monitoring program carried by the Irish Marine Institute, Galway, were analysed. Samples were extracted from 3 sites (inner, middle and outer) from Killary Harbour, Ireland, in 2009 and 2010. Mussels from a DSP event were tested by Mouse Bioassay (MBA), ELISA (Abraxis), LC-MS and protein phosphatase PP2A assay (OkaTest).
ELISA kits showed matrix effects, but PP2A technique (OkaTest, ZEU-INMUNOTEC) was recommended as rapid assay.
More information on http://www.nppwater.com/data_access.php?id=85