Toxins and allergies research

Links:
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety/downloads/histamines_biogenicamines1995.pdf

Histamines in fish
In three studies on histamines in fish conducted on behalf of the Department of Human Services (DHS), as many as 51 percent of seafood products tested exceeded the permitted level for histamines. Histamines in fish can cause allergic reactions in people ranging from mild skin discomfort to nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The level of histamine in fish, canned, frozen or fresh is affected by the presence of certain proteins which are converted to allergenic products by bacteria present. Correct temperature control can limit the production of histamines.

The number of products over the limit, in canned fish products in particular, prompted the DHS to conduct further research during 2000 into the affect of storage time and temperature on histamine production to determine whether existing food handling practices were adequate. The 2000 study concluded that if appropriate temperature control practices were followed, production of histamine was limited.

The standard states that“the level of histamine in acomposite sample of fish or fish products, other than crustaceans or molluscs, whenexamined according to the method in Section 977.13 of A.O.A.C, l5th Edition (1990), must not exceed 100mg/kg. Levels above 100mg/kg indicate that fish have been mishandled during storage or processing.

Links:
http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/15620882
http://www.potatocongress.org/sub.cfm?source=108

Glycoalkaloids in potato
Glycoalkaloids are natural toxins, occuring in all parts of plants of the Solanum species. Glycoalkaloids are toxic to humans; the lethal dose is considered to be 3-6 mg per kg body mass. Commercial and especially new potato varieties are routinely screened at the Netherlands Institute for Carbohydrate Research TNO for their solanidine glycoalkaloid content, with a HPLC method

Comparison of rapid liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry methods for determination of glycoalkaloids in transgenic field-grown potatoes.
Two rapid methods for highly selective detection and quantification of the two major glycoalkaloids in potatoes, alpha-chaconine and alpha-solanine, were compared for robustness in high-throughput operations for over 1000 analytical runs using potato tuber samples from field trials. Glycoalkaloids were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode.

An electrospray interface was used in the detection of glycoalkaloids in positive ion mode. Classical reversed phase (RP) and hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) columns were investigated for chromatographic separation, ruggedness, recovery, precision, and accuracy.

During the validation procedure both methods proved to be precise and accurate enough in relation to the high degree of endogenous biological variability found for field-grown potato tubers. However, the RP method was found to be more precise, more accurate, and, more importantly, more rugged than the HILIC method for maintaining the analytes' peak shape symmetry in high-throughput operation.