Marine biotoxins as natural contaminants in seafood: European perspective

The proliferation of harmful algal blooms is a natural phenomenon in the marine environment of relevant impact in seafood safety. The marine biotoxins resulting from this natural contamination can accumulate in seafood causing different kinds of food poisoning in humans. The implementation of surveillance programs to monitor the presence of marine biotoxins, in order to protect public health, has been intensified in the European Union (EU) over the last few decades. The transition from mouse bioassay to instrumental analytical methods, typically liquid chromatography coupled to different detection modes, has been a key achievement, allowing the reliable identification, quantification, and even confirmation of the different toxin analogs involved in the contamination, contributing to the risk characterization associated to these toxic compounds. Three different toxin groups, lipophilic, amnesic, and paralytic are currently regulated in the EU; however, future challenging needs are coming which are demanding the attention of the scientists working in this field, in particular the ones related to the appearance of emerging toxins, which are being detected in certain coastal areas of Europe, as a consequence of the climate change, among other factors, representing a potential and additional seafood safety risk.