Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Applications in Marine Biotoxin Analysis
Summary
Marine biotoxins are structurally diverse secondary metabolites produced by harmful algae that accumulate in shellfish and finfish, representing a serious threat to seafood safety and public health worldwide. The imperative for rapid, sensitive and specific detection has driven widespread adoption of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques. In these workflows, chromatographic separation resolves complex mixtures of hydrophilic and lipophilic toxins, while mass spectrometry provides unambiguous identification through characteristic mass-to-charge signatures. Recent methodological advances encompass high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to enable exact mass measurements, non-targeted screening to reveal emerging or unexpected toxin analogues, and tandem MS/MS fragmentation to confirm structural identity and improve quantification. Coupling LC to trap or at-column dilution modules has enhanced solvent compatibility and lowered detection limits, allowing the direct analysis of organic extracts and reducing sample preparation. Passive sampling devices such as solid phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) have been integrated with LC-MS to extend monitoring to the water column, providing time-integrated toxin profiles and early warning of bloom events. These analytical innovations underpin regulatory monitoring, dietary risk assessment and ecological studies of toxin dynamics, and are poised to accommodate the discovery of novel biotoxins in a changing marine environment.
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Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Applications in Marine Biotoxin Analysis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry applications in marine biotoxin analysis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS): Combined separation and mass analysis technique for identifying compounds by retention time and mass-to-charge ratio.
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS): Mass spectrometry providing accurate mass measurements to distinguish compounds with high precision.
Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT): Passive sampling method using porous resins to concentrate dissolved marine toxins from ambient waters over time.
Non-targeted Analysis: Analytical approach that detects and identifies unknown or unexpected compounds without predefining a target list.
Lipophilic Shellfish Toxins (LSTs): Fat-soluble toxins produced by microalgae that accumulate in shellfish and pose health risks to consumers.
References
- Occurrence and Exposure Assessment of Lipophilic Shellfish Toxins in the Zhejiang Province, China. Marine Drugs (2024).
- Extended Targeted and Non-Targeted Strategies for the Analysis of Marine Toxins in Mussels and Oysters by (LC-HRMS). Toxins (2018).
- A Screening Tool for the Direct Analysis of Marine and Freshwater Phycotoxins in Organic SPATT Extracts from the Chesapeake Bay. Toxins (2020).
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