Analytical Capacity

Our goal is to develop a national centre for the analysis of algal toxins, which means developing and launching established methods for toxin analysis. We want to be able to receive samples from environmental monitoring and samples taken from observed algal blooms at bathing sites or by the public along the coast. Such a function would also create a resource for research groups that need to make analyses within their research projects, from all of Sweden and the countries around the Baltic Sea. The focus is on the dominant toxins microcystin, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin and saxitoxin. But with the ongoing climate change, we can expect changes in the species composition of toxin-producing algae, which means that during the latter part of the project we also carry out a broader screening.

The work involves setting up analytical capacity and validating the analyses for implementation:

• Methods for processing, purification and quantification of toxins in different types of samples.
• An optimised detection platform with readiness for large amounts of samples. This means optimised analyses with ELISA as well as screening methods.
• High-resolution analytical methods for detailed quantification of a selection of samples, here we collaborate with the Swedish National Food Agency, which runs LC-MS.
• Screening for which toxins are common and what should be focused on in environmental monitoring after the project is over, e.g. brominated halogenated compounds, which are not currently in focus at all but probably contribute to poor fish health in the Baltic Sea.