Food Toxicants from Aquatic Animals

Only a few species out of the numerous toxin-containing organisms (about 1200 known species) living in the sea have something to do with food toxicology. Toxic compounds are produced either by

• e edible organisms ( sh and shell sh) themselves or • e sea phytoplankton or algae, ingested by the edible sh or shell-

sh. is group of toxic substances is called phycotoxins, from Greek, j U oκ ς = phykos, “alga”; and toxikon, “toxin.”