Algae dietary supplements are marketed worldwide as natural health products. Although their proprieties have been claimed as beneficial to improve overall health, there have been several previous reports of contamination by cyanotoxins. These products generally contain non-toxic cyanobacteria, but the methods of cultivation in natural waters without appropriate quality controls allow contamination by toxin producer species present in the natural environment. In this study, we investigated the presence of total microcystins, seven individual microcystins (RR, YR, LR, LA, LY, LW, LF), anatoxin-a, dihydroanatoxin-a, epoxyanatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxin, and β-methylamino-l-alanine in 18 different commercially available products containing Spirulina or Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Total microcystins analysis was accomplished using a Lemieux oxidation and a chemical derivatization using dansyl chloride was needed for the simultaneous analysis of cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxin, and β-methylamino-l-alanine. Moreover, the use of laser diode thermal desorption (LDTD) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) both coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) enabled high performance detection and quantitation. Out of the 18 products analyzed, 8 contained some cyanotoxins at levels exceeding the tolerable daily intake values. The presence of cyanotoxins in these algal dietary supplements reinforces the need for a better quality control as well as consumer’s awareness on the potential risks associated with the consumption of these supplements.

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A new analytical method was developed for the detection of alkaloid cyanotoxins in harmful algal blooms. The detection of the nonproteinogenic amino acid β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and two of its conformation isomers, 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB) and N-(2-aminoethyl) glycine (AEG), as well as three alkaloid cyanotoxins, anatoxin-a (ANA-a), cylindrospermopsin (CYN), and saxitoxin (STX), is presented. The use of a chemical derivatization with dansyl chloride (DNS) allows easier separation with reversed phase liquid chromatography. Detection with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) with the Q-Exactive enables high selectivity with specific fragmentation as well as exact mass detection, reducing considerably the possibilities of isobaric interferences. Previous to analysis, a solid phase extraction (SPE) step is used for purification and preconcentration. After DNS derivatization, samples are submitted to ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with heated electrospray ionisation and the Q-Exactive mass spectrometer (UHPLC-HESI-HRMS). With an internal calibration using isotopically-labeled DAB-D3, the method was validated with good linearity (R (2) > 0.998), and method limits of detection and quantification (MLD and MLQ) for target compounds ranged from 0.007 to 0.01 μg L(-1) and from 0.02 to 0.04 μg L(-1), respectively. Accuracy and within-day/between-days variation coefficients were below 15%. SPE recovery values ranged between 86 and 103%, and matrix effects recovery values ranged between 75 and 96%. The developed analytical method was successfully validated with 12 different lakes samples, and concentrations were found ranging between 0.009 and 0.3 μg L(-1) except for STX which was not found in any sample.

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