By Ian Stewart

Harmful algal toxins are a recognised hazard to seafood safety. Several toxin families are subject to regulatory oversight, so the topic of reliable and reproducible detection and quantification of this structurally and functionally diverse group of compounds is of paramount importance for export and domestic seafood industries and seafood consumers. State-of-the-art analytical competencies for harmful algal biotoxins are needed in order to fully support the Australian seafood industry's ability to comply with export requirements.

AOAC International's Pacific Northwest meeting in Tacoma represented an opportunity for the Seafood CRC to participate at an important gathering of global experts in the field of algal toxin analysis and research. This is a rapidly developing field, both in terms of a growing understanding of the public health and trade implications attributable to known and novel algal biotoxins, as well as advances in analytical capability through instrumentation and skills. AOAC International, the Association of Analytical Communities, is the focal agency for analytical method development, method validation and related knowledge dissemination.

The objectives of this visit to the US were to:

1. Update knowledge on algal and cyanobacterial biotoxins

2. Communicate with experts in the field from around the world

3. Contribute to the proceedings by presenting a paper.

4. Participate in training for advanced analytical techniques for lipophilic shellfish toxin measurement.