Seafood Residue Testing
Seafood Residue Testing
Using antimicrobial products, like sulfites, is increasingly becoming a global concern as producers of farm-raised seafood (like shrimp) resort to this to increase profits. This and the naturally occurring marine biotoxins are just some of the factors that lead to unsafe marine products.
Marine biotoxins are produced by harmful algal blooms (HAB) that are unpredictable and can occur worldwide. In addition to seafood and shellfish contamination, they can also cause human and wildlife mortality. Due to the high demand for shellfish across the world, and the fact that toxins cannot be destroyed by heat during cooking, it is vital to test if shellfish are free from it.
HISTAMINE
Histamine is a cause of allergic reaction in humans, histamine poisoning can have effects ranging from mild skin discomfort to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Histamine is a product of bacterial degradation of susceptible fish species.
SULFITE
Sulfiting agents are used with shrimp, lobster, and related crustaceans to prevent melanosis (a.k.a. “blackspot”). While sulfiting agents are very beneficial to the seafood industry, some consumers are highly allergic to sulfite residues in food. For this reason, the US FDA regulations state that seafood containing sulfite residues of 10 ppm or more must be labeled as containing sulfites.
MARINE BIOTOXINS
These are produced by certain kinds of microscopic algae (a type of phytoplankton) that are naturally present in marine waters, normally in safe numbers, but periodically increase to harmful levels during algal blooms. Here are the most common marine biotoxins according to FAO:
- PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISONING (PSP)
- DIARRHETIC SHELLFISH POISONING (DSP)
- AMNESIC SHELLFISH POISONING (ASP)
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans is caused by ingestion of shellfish containing saxitoxins. These toxins are accumulated in shellfish feeding on toxin-producing algae more commonly known in the country as “red tide”. Symptoms of human PSP intoxication vary from a slight tingling or numbness to complete respiratory paralysis. In fatal cases, respiratory paralysis occurs within two (2) to twelve (12) hours of consumption of the PSP contaminated food.
In humans, it is caused by the ingestion of contaminated bivalves such as mussels, scallops, oysters or clams. The fat soluble okadaic acid and its derivatives accumulate in the fatty tissue of the bivalves. DSP symptoms are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain starting 30 minutes to a few hours after ingestion and complete recovery within three (3) days.
It is also known as domoic acid poisoning (DAP). It was first recognized in 1987 in Prince Edward Island, Canada. At this time, ASP caused three deaths and 105 cases of acute human poisoning following the consumption of blue mussels. The symptoms included abdominal cramps, vomiting, disorientation, and memory loss (amnesia).
Veratox® for Histamine
Veratox® for Histamine is a competitive direct ELISA intended for the quantitative analysis of histamine in scombroid species of fish, such as tuna, bluefish, and mahi-mahi, and in fishmeal. It is used with Neogen ELISA Reader - a stand-alone microstrip reader with built-in software designed for accurate and automatic reading of results.Features & Benefits
- Simple water extraction, no harmful chemicals necessary
- Equivalent recovery to traditional fluorometric methods
- Quantitative results
- Tests one (1) or up to nineteen (19) samples at one time
- AOAC-approved
Reveal® for Histamine
Reveal® for Histamine is a single-step lateral flow assay based on a competitive immunoassay format intended for the visual screening of histamine in scombroid species of fish, such as tuna and mahi-mahi.Features & Benefits
- Simple water extraction
- Rapid five (5) minutes test time
Alert® for Histamine
Alert® for Histamine is a competitive direct ELISA intended for the screening of histamine in scombroid species of fish, such as tuna, bluefish and mahi-mahi, and in fishmeal.Features & Benefits
- Simple water extraction
- 20 minutes to results
- Tests one (1) or up to five (5) samples at one time
Alert® for Sulfites
Alert® for Sulfites is a very simple and rapid semi-quantitative test for detecting sulfite residues in shrimp.Features & Benefits
- Simple procedure: drop and interpret
- Rapid results in one (1) minute
- Visual interpretation, no equipment needed
Reveal® 2.0 for ASP
Reveal® 2.0 for ASP (amnesic shellfish poisoning) is a 10-minute lateral flow assay that detects domoic acid at the established US and EU maximum threshold of 20 ppm.Features & Benefits
- Simple extraction and testing procedure
- Comparable with US FDA and EU Commission permitted levels
- Rapid results easily determined by reader
- ISSC-approved
Reveal® 2.0 for DSP
Reveal® 2.0 for DSP (diarrhetic shellfish poisoning) is a single step lateral flow assay that detects okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin (DTX) derivatives at the EU and US established maximum threshold levels of 160 ppb.Features & Benefits
- Simple water extraction
- Rapid five (5) minutes test time
Reveal® 2.0 for PSP
Reveal® 2.0 for PSP (paralytic shellfish poisoning) is a 5-minute lateral flow assay that detects saxitoxin (STX) equivalents. It is intended for the qualitative screening of shellfish paralytic shellfish toxins (PST), which produces a positive result with samples containing approximately 800 ppb STX equivalents or greater.Features & Benefits
- Simple extraction and testing procedure
- Comparable with US FDA and EU Commission permitted levels
HistaStrip™
The HistaStrip™ test kit makes use of a convenient dipstick technology for the rapid detection of histamine in a variety of sample types. The test strips can detect unsafe levels of histamine without the use of organic solvents or heating steps.Features & Benefits
- Rapid and reproducible results in 4 minutes
- Ideal for field testing with small sample sizes
- Fully quantitative results when used with QuickSTAR™ Horizon™ Strip Reader