Rapid and Low Cost Toxin Analysis for Shellfish Food Safety

he contamination of shellfish with marine toxins produced during Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)have become an increasingly common occurrence near U.S. shores. Consumption of contaminatedshellfish causes serious nervous and intestinal system illnesses which often require hospitalizationand fishing closures. The only way to minimize the risk to the consumer is to ensure that theshellfish product does not contain toxic amounts of these species when harvested. There is thereforea particular need for novel sensor technologies for rapid and highly sensitive detection of toxins inshellfish.In response to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) National Challenge Areasand the United States Department of Agriculture's Strategic Goal: "Reduce the incidence of food- borne illness and provide a safer food supply" we propose a rapid and cost effective marine toxinsensor capable of detecting HAB food toxins in shellfish tissue. The proposed toxin analysis will besimple to operate contain little sample preparation and is expected to demonstrate accuracy andspecificity equivalent to conventional laboratory detection systems. Fully developed the field-readysensor device will allow for monitoring shellfish toxins to quickly respond to contamination eventsbefore unsafe food is distributed and consumed. Such device would be beneficial for U.S. consumerhealth as well as shellfishing industry and food safety regulators.