Ultra-performance hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry system (UP-HILIC-MS/MS) was used in multi-toxin analysis of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and tetrodotoxins (TTXs) in sample matrices from bivalve molluscan species commercially produced for human consumption in Sweden. The method validation includes 17 toxins of which GTX6 and two TTX analogues, TTX and 4,9-anhydroTTX, were previously not analyzed together with hydrophilic PSTs. 11-deoxyTTX was monitored qualitatively with a non-certified reference standard. The performance of the method was evaluated for selectivity, repeatability, and linearity by analyzing spiked samples which generated linear calibration curves across the concentration ranges used (R2 > 0.99). The in-house reproducibility (RSD) was satisfactory including the LOD and LOQ for both PSP and TTX toxins being far below their regulatory action limits. The major advantage of the method is that it allows direct confirmation of the toxin identity and specific toxin quantification using a derivatization-free approach. Unlike the PST-chemical methods used in routine regulatory monitoring until now for food control, the UP-HILIC-MS/MS approach enables the calibration set-up for each of the toxin analogs separately, thereby providing the essential flexibility and specificity in analysis of this challenging group of toxins. The method is suitable to implement in food monitoring for PSTs and TTXs in bivalves, and can serve as a fast and cost-efficient screening method. However, positive samples would, for regulatory reasons still need to be confirmed using the AOAC official method (2005.06).
Keywords: UP-HILIC-MS/MS; bivalve mollusks; marine biotoxins; paralytic shellfish toxins; tetrodotoxin.