A paper in the May/June issue of the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL describes a new method for the determination of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in shellfish tissue. PSTs are naturally occurring in algae but can accumulate in shellfish. Consumption of this shellfish tissue by humans can result in illness and death. Existing methods for the determination of PSTs in shellfish, including mouse bioassay and the Lawrence method, are reliable but time-consuming. Researchers state that the new liquid chromatographic (LC) postcolumn method is also reliable but has a faster turnaround of positive samples.

The paper, written by Canadian Food Inspection Agency researchers Wade A. Rourke and others, is included in the May/June issue of the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. Click here for additional information on subscribing to the Journal or to purchase the article.

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