Development of an HPLC-UV method for in situ brevetoxin analysis

Abstract

Brevetoxin discrimination and quantification is costly and time consuming, often preventing analyses from being performed at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution. Development of an insitu brevetoxin analyzer could allow for remote monitoring capabilities and keep the required human interaction and costs to a minimum. In this work, a method for brevetoxin analysis suitable for employment by a new in-situ HPLC is developed using individual HPLC and UV-VIS spectrometer components and brevetoxin standards. Multiple light sources, spectrophotometer, liquid-core waveguide, HPLC column, and eluent configurations were tested, and scripts for data-signal processing were created. Initial results are promising and demonstrate proof-of-concept for a fully functional in-situ brevetoxin detector.