Advances in method development for the analysis of cyanobacterial toxins (microcystins and anatoxin-A) in the Great Lakes

Speaker: Dr. Xavier Ortiz Almirall, Development Scientist, Toxic Organic Section, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Title: Advances in method development for the analysis of cyanobacterial toxins(microcystins and anatoxin-A) in the Great Lakes
Date, Time and Place: March 8, 2019, TB 202

Due to Great Lakes eutrophication and raise of global temperatures caused by the Climate Change, occurrence of cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms have been increasing exponentially during the last decade in Ontario. These algal blooms can be severely toxic due to the production of cyanotoxins such as microcystins and anatoxin-A. There are several challenges associated with the analysis of these toxins. During this presentation, a selection of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ (MECP) research projects that address some of these problems will be discussed:

• Sample preparation automation: Typical sample preparation for cyanotoxins analysis can take up to several days. An automated method for the analysis of microcystins and anatoxin-A using on-line solid phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography will be showcased.
• Non-targeted analysis of microcystins: There are over 200 different microcystin variants reported in literature to date. A workflow for the non-targeted analysis of previously unknown variants using quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) will be presented (Fig. 1). Different advanced acquisition modes will be compared.
• Analysis of microcystins in fish: Microcystins in fish can get covalently bound to protein phosphatases, thus difficulting their analysis. Different analytical approaches to address this problem during sample preparation will be discussed.