Seafood sold in Sweden contains BMAA: A study of free and total concentrations with UHPLC–MS/MS and dansyl chloride derivatization

Abstract

β-N-Methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) is a potential neurotoxin associated with the aquatic environment. Validated analytical methods for the quantification of both free and total concentrations of BMAA were used in an investigation of seafood purchased from different grocery stores in Uppsala, Sweden. The analysis was performed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI–MS/MS) and detection of BMAA as a dansyl derivate. The determined concentrations of free BMAA (after a simple trichloroacetic acid extraction) in mussels and scallops were up to 0.46 μg g−1 wet homogenate. The total BMAA (after hydrochloric acid hydrolysis) levels were between 0.29 and 7.08 μg g−1 wet mussel homogenate. The highest concentration of total BMAA was found in imported cooked and canned mussels which contained about ten times the quantity of BMAA measured in domestic cooked and frozen mussels. In this study it was also concluded that BMAA could be detected in seafood origin from four different continents. The risks associated with human exposure to BMAA through food are unknown today. However, the results of this study show that imported seafood in Sweden contain BMAA, indicating that this area needs more investigation, including a risk assessment regarding the consumption of e.g., mussels, scallops and crab.

Keywords

• β-N-Methylamino-l
• -alanine (BMAA)
• Seafood
• Quantification
• Dansyl chloride (DNS)
• UHPLC–MS/MS
• Health risks