Recent advances in analytical procedures for the detection of diarrhetic phycotoxins: a review

Okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins are produced by some marine unicellular a lgae from the plankton and also benthic microalgae and may accumulate in sh ellfish. These phycotoxins are involved in a gastrointestinal syndrome call ed diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP), which occurs in humans after consu mption of bivalve molluscs. Thousands cases of human poisonings in Europe w ere caused by consumption of toxic shellfish during the past decade. The ra pid detection and the reliable determination of the main phycotoxins implic ated in DSP are a major concern for governmental institutions in charge of the sanitary control of seafood safety. Analytical procedures for the detec tion and determination of DSP toxins can be classified as: bioassays, bioch emical methods including immunoassays, or physicochemical methods. Although a large number of methods have been developed, none have been officially v alidated. A complete panel of tools for DSP toxin analysis should include s creening, investigation, and confirmation methods. This paper presents a co mpilation of recent developments and optimisations of these methods.