COMMENT pubs.acs.org/ac
Comment on ‘‘The Effect of Uncontrolled Factors in a Validated Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method Question Its Use As Reference Method for Marine Toxins: Major Causes for Concern’’ Ana Gago-Martinez*,† and James M. Hungerford‡ † ‡
University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain and EU-RLMB, Vigo, Spain USFDA and AOAC Marine and Freshwater Toxins Task Force, Bothell, Washington, United States
n a recent publication by Botana and co-workers,1 the authors address a published liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS) method,2 incorrectly referring to this method as a proposed reference method and thus confusing this method2 with the methodology approved by the European Commission for the LC MS/MS analysis of shellfish for lipophilic toxins.3 The method cited and studied by Botana and co-workers is not the method on which validation was coordinated by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins (EU-RLMB) and approved by the EU as the reference method for the control of lipophilic toxins. Indeed, the method2 addressed by Botana and co-workers was never proposed by the EU-RLMB for this purpose. We conclude that since the authors have addressed the wrong methodology, the entire publication1 is irrelevant regarding “concern” and “proposed reference methods”. Unfortunately this also means that the publication is based on a false premise. Readers will be misled by reference to the wrong method. Further, Botana and colleagues1 did not follow standard quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures like those stipulated in the approved method,3 which also undermines the false implications of their title in referring to “the effect of uncontrolled factors.” To clarify, we wish to point out that we are not focusing here on the merits of the method of These et al.2 Any statements addressing other LC MS/MS methods for the lipophilic toxins should be addressed in a separate Comment. The method actually approved by the EU, including QA/QC procedures to ensure quality data, has been and remains readily available online as an SOP.3
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’ AUTHOR INFORMATION Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
’ REFERENCES (1) Otero, P.; Alfonso, A.; Alfonso, C.; Rodriguez, P.; Vieytes, M. R.; Botana, L. M. Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 5903–5911. (2) These, A.; Klemm, C.; Nausch, I. Anal. Bioanal Chem. 2011, 399, 1245–1256. (3) http://www.aesan.msps.es/CRLMB/docs/docs/metodos_ analiticos_de_desarrollo/EU-Harmonised-SOP-LIPO-LCMSMS_ Version4.pdf
r 2011 American Chemical Society
Published: October 19, 2011 475
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac2020933 | Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 475–475
