Identification of species and measurement of tetrodotoxin in dried dressed fillets of the puffer fish, Lagocephalus lunaris.
The toxicity and species of dried dressed fish fillets were investigated. Three of seven dried dressed fish fillets were found to be toxic, with their levels of toxicity ranging from 9 to 18 mouse units per g. The toxin preparation was further purified and identified as tetrodotoxin and anhydrotetrodotoxin by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The species of these fillets could not be distinguished from Lagocephalus lunaris by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis or restriction site and sequence analysis of a polymerase chain reaction amplicon of the cytochrome b gene. These fish fillets were identified as L. lunaris on the basis of their protein patterns and gene characteristics. Furthermore, the toxic samples contained low levels of tetrodotoxin and its derivative.
Chen
Tai-Yuan
TY
Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Republic of China.
Hsieh
Yu-Wen
YW
Tsai
Yung-Hsiang
YH
Shiau
Chyuan-Yuan
CY
Hwang
Deng-Fwu
DF
D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics; D005396:Fish Products / Q000506:poisoning; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D023721:Tetraodontiformes / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity*
D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D013779:Tetrodotoxin