Surface plasmon resonance biosensor screening method for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins: a pilot...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biosensing Technology
• Food Safety

Background:

• Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) poses a significant public health risk.
• Current detection methods, like the mouse bioassay, face ethical and practical limitations.
• There is a need for rapid, accurate, and reliable PSP toxin detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) optical biosensor for PSP toxin detection.
• To conduct an interlaboratory study to assess the method's performance and reproducibility.
• To establish the SPR biosensor as a viable alternative to the mouse bioassay.

Main Methods:

• Development of an SPR optical biosensor assay for PSP toxins.
• Distribution of a prototype kit to seven independent laboratories for evaluation.
• Analysis of 20 shellfish samples per laboratory, including naturally contaminated and spiked samples with varying toxin levels.
• Interlaboratory comparison using Biacore Q SPR instrumentation.

Main Results:

• All seven participating laboratories successfully completed the study with acceptable performance (HorRat values <1).
• Mean recoveries for PSP toxins were high, ranging from 94.6% (low level) to 98.6% (high level).
• Excellent reproducibility was demonstrated with relative standard deviations (RSD(R)) between 2.9% and 18.3%.

Conclusions:

• The SPR biosensor method provides accurate and reproducible detection of PSP toxins in shellfish.
• This study represents the first interlaboratory evaluation of an SPR biosensor for PSP toxins.
• The developed SPR biosensor is a promising tool to replace the mouse bioassay in Europe, enhancing food safety and animal welfare.