Occurrence of saxitoxine (PSP marine biotoxine) in live molluscs available on Polish market

Abstract

The study was carried out on live bivalve molluscs available on Polish market. Samples of the molluscs (n = 124) were collected from warehouses and markets. Six different species of molluscs (mussels, oysters, vongole, scallops, Japanese clams, and razor clams) were used for the determination of saxitoxine (responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP) by ELISA. The maximum concentration of PSP toxins (756.69 µg/kg of meat) was found in scallops. The majority of tested mussels were free from the PSP toxins or contained biotoxins bellow the permitted level (800 µg/kg). The analysis of toxicological status of raw bivalve molluscs available on Polish market indicated that they are safe for consumers.

Contamination of raw bivalve molluscs available in Poland between 2009 and 2013 with marine biotoxins

“…In Poland, only the determination of PSP, DSP, and ASP toxins is performed in the National Veterinary Research Institute. These toxins were found at maximum levels of 756 μg/kg, 88 μg/kg, and 6.3 mg/kg respectively but all were below the legal limits (18,19). However, the safety of this kind of seafood can be guaranteed mainly by preventive measures and application of appropriate procedures such as suitable selection of harvesting areas, programmes for monitoring of water quality, final product inspections, appropriate methods of analysis, and hygiene control for food business operators involved in the whole food chain (4,21,22).…”