FLUOROMETRIC-DETERMINATION OF DIARRHETIC SHELLFISH TOXINS IN SCALLOPSAND MUSSELS BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

The fluorimetric determination of okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxi n-1 (DTX-1), the principal toxins of diarrhetic poisoning, is reported . The digestive glands of mussels or scallops were homogenized with 2- propanol. OA and DTX-1 were extracted from the homogenate, with hexane -ethyl acetate and labelled with 2,3-(anthracenedicarboximido)ethyl tr ifluoromethanesulfonate in dry acetonitrile. After cleaning up by pass age through a short silica gel column, the fluorescent derivatives wer e determined by HPLC. The derivatives were at first separated on a Dev elosil Ph-5 column, and only the target fraction obtained was introduc ed into a Develosil ODS K-5 column by a valve-switching device. Both t oxins were determined in the range 2.5-500 pg, and the detection limit s were 0.8 pg (OA) and 1.3 pg (DTX-1) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.