Simultaneous Determination of Tetrodotoxin in the Fresh and Heat-Processed Aquatic Products by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) was simultaneously detected in the fresh and heat-processed aquatic products by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. The detection conditions were investigated, including the chromatography column and mobile phase. Based on the optimized parameters, a sensitive determination method of TTX was established. The proposed method featured the merits of a good linear relationship between signal and TTX concentration (R-2 = 0.9998), a wide detection matrix-based range of 0.2-100 ng/g, and a low detection limit of 0.2 ng/g, etc. The spiked assays evidenced its accuracy and reliability with recoveries of 90.5-107.2%. Finally, the developed method was simultaneously successfully applied in the determination of TTX in various fresh and heat-processed aquatic products.

Automated summary

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) was detected in both fresh and heat-processed aquatic products using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A sensitive determination method was established based on optimized parameters, featuring a good linear relationship (R-2 = 0.9998) between signal and TTX concentration, a wide detection range (0.2-100 ng/g), and a low detection limit (0.2 ng/g). The accuracy and reliability of the method were confirmed by spiked assays with recoveries of 90.5-107.2%. This developed method was successfully applied to the determination of TTX in various fresh and heat-processed aquatic products.