Analysis and Evaluation of Tetrodotoxin in Coastal Aquatic Products of Zhejiang Province

A total of 306 coastal aquatic products were collected from representative aquaculture area and local markets in Zhoushan, Taizhou and Wenzhou cites of Zhejiang province between 2013 and 2014. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) content in edibletissue was analyzed by means of the ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) in multiple reactionsmonitoring mode. In May, detection rate reached its peak in Zhoushan (8.33%) and Wenzhou (13.3%) cities, while a maximum detection rate of 33.3% in Taizhou city was found until June. Out of the captured and processed aquatic products, puffer fish (Lagocephalus gloveri), horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpins rotundicauda), dried puffer fish, dried leatherjacket fish (Thamnaconus modestus), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), short necked clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), Chinese razor clam (Sinonovacula constricta) and hard-shelled mussel (Mytilus coruscus) were detected as the positive ones with TTX level ranged from 0.88 mu g/kg -162 mu g/kg. These findings suggest that TTX monitoring in coastal area of Zhejiang province should be implemented to detect potentially toxic contamination in non-reported species, and study seasonal or geographical patterns in TTX-containing samples.