Study on contents of tetramine in salivary gland, meat and internal organsof buccinid gastropods (Mollusca)

The present study was carried out to clarify the content of tetramine in va rious Buccinid gastropods (Mollusca) on the market by ion chromatography. As a result of examination of 28 samples of 5 kinds of gastropods of the ge nus Neptunea, tetramine was detected in salivary gland of all of them. The highest value of the tetramine content in both N. arthritica and N. intersc ulpta were 6,600 mu g/g. The total amount of tetramine in the shell was the most in large-sized N. constricta, at 37 mg. In the case of N. lamellosa a nd N. intersculpta, tetramine was detected not only in salivary gland, but also in meat and internal organs. In 18 samples of 6 kinds of gastropods of the genus Buccinum, no tetramine was detected. The tetramine detected in the meat was identified by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and ESI mass spectrometry after TLC purification. These results suggest that gastropods containing a large amount of tetramin e in the meat might cause poisoning even if the salivary gland was removed.