Methods for the determining the presence or absence of cyanobacteria toxins

A method of determining the presence or absence of cyanobacterial toxins in a sample comprising the steps of:

• preparing a sample potentially containing cyanobacterial toxins using a solid phase extraction comprising a weak anion exchange process and a weak cation exchange process thereby forming a sample extract, the solid phase extraction including elution of the sample extract at low pressure or under gravity using a solid phase extraction device including particles comprising a poly(divinylbenzene-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) polymer;
• passing the sample extract through a chromatographic column to form a retained sample potentially comprising cyanobacterial toxin;
• eluting compounds from said retained sample from said chromatographic column to form at least one eluted compound potentially comprising a cyanobacterial toxin;
• placing said eluted compound in a mass spectrometer to form a mass spectrum;
• and
• determining the presence or absence of the cyanobacterial toxin from the mass spectrum.

A method of determining the presence or absence of cyanobacterial toxins in a sample comprising the steps of:

• preparing, on a solid phase extraction device, a water sample potentially comprising one or more cyanobacterial toxins to form a retained or concentrated sample potentially comprising a toxin, the solid phase extraction device including a weak anion exchange resin and a weak cation exchange resin, wherein said solid phase extraction device includes particles comprising a poly(divinylbenzene-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) polymer;
• eluting or reconstituting, from said solid phase extraction device at low pressure or under gravity, said retained or concentrated toxin sample in a mobile phase to form a sample extract;
• placing said sample extract on the head of a chromatographic column to form a retained sample potentially comprising the one or more cyanobacterial toxins in the event said sample extract contained such cyanobacterial toxins;
• eluting compounds from said retained sample potentially comprising the one or more cyanobacterial toxins from said chromatographic column to form at least one eluted compound potentially comprising the one or more cyanobacterial toxins;
• and
• placing said at least one eluted compound potentially comprising the one or more cyanobacterial toxins in a mass spectrometer to form a mass spectrum and determining the presence or absence of said one or more cyanobacterial toxins from the mass spectrum.