Characterization of the Ciguatoxin Profile in Fish Samples from the Eastern Atlantic Ocean using Capillary Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry. (30th August 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Estevez, Pablo; Oses Prieto, Juan; Burlingame, Alma; Gago Martinez, Ana
• Is Part Of: Food chemistry. Volume 418(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-08-30
• Subjects: Food safety -- Marine Biotoxins -- Ciguatera Food Poisoning -- Orbitrap -- Parallel Reaction Monitoring -- Fragmentation Pathways; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.135960
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-8146

Abstract

Highlights: Capillary LC (cLC) increases ionization efficiency and sensitivity. The cLC-HRMS method showed superior sensitivity in the analysis of ciguatoxins. The full ciguatoxin profile in fish from the eastern Atlantic Ocean was characterized. C-CTX1 was the principal responsible for the contamination. hydroxy- and didehydro- metabolites were first structurally characterized. Abstract: Ciguatera Poisoning is an emerging risk in the east Atlantic Ocean. Despite characterization efforts, the complete profile of ciguatoxin chemical species in these waters is still unknown. These efforts have been complicated by a lack of reference materials and scarcity of fish contaminated with high levels of ciguatoxins. Development and application of analytical methods with enhanced selectivity and sensitivity is essential for ciguatoxin characterization. Here, we developed an analytical characterization approach using capillary liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry applied to reference materials obtained from ciguatoxin contaminated fish. Capillary LC coupled mass spectrometry resulted in increased sensitivity leading to the confirmation of C-CTX1 as the principal ciguatoxin present in these samples. We also detected and structurally characterized minor C-CTXs analogues consisting of C-CTX3/4, hydroxy-, didehydro-, and methoxy- metabolites.