Ed Bradley, Neogen's vice president of food safety says: "This test is simple enough to be used on the boat when the shellfish are harvested, yet reliable enough for a laboratory."
The first major recorded case for domoic acid poisoning took place in Canada in 1987 where 150 people became ill and four died after eating mussels. In Europe, it has been found in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Norway, France, Spain and Portugal. Many countries have established a maximum permitted domoic acid level of 20µg/kg of whole shellfish, or 20ppm. The European Commission Directive has implemented a maximum level of 20ppm of domoic acid in shellfish for human consumption.
The new test is a result of a Knowledge Transfer Partnerships project in partnership with Queen's University, Belfast.
Contact: Neogen Europe
Tel: 01292 525 275