Cyanotoxin contamination in commercial Spirulina food supplements

Abstract

Arthrospira (“Spirulina”) is the most used cyanobacterium in food supplementation. “Spirulina” products are considered as superfood due to their excellent nutritional content, although several studies have shown the toxic effects of short and long term “Spirulina” consumption. In this work, a total of 31 “Spirulina” products from different brands, available in Greece, were investigated for their cyanotoxin contamination. All samples were positive for microcystins (MCYSTs) (35.7–583.5 ng g−1 dry weight [dw]). Two samples were tested positive for cylindrospermopsins (CYNs) (221.4–351.8 ng g−1 dw). No saxitoxins (STXs) were found. According to guidelines, the MCYSTs concentrations did not exceed the tolerable daily intake (TDI) set for adults, but six products exceeded the TDI set for children and 23 exceeded the TDI set for infants. The CYNs did not surpass the TDI for adults, but both samples exceeded the TDI for children and infants. This study showed that the low cyanobacterial toxin concentrations occurring in commercial “Spirulina” supplements, do not pose obvious risks for adults’ consumption, however they pose health risks for children and infants after daily consumption. To protect consumers, regular monitoring of these toxins at all stages of “Spirulina” production is recommended. © 2021, Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (BVL).