The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has amended the Regulation on Special Hygiene Rules for Animal Foods in 2014. Changes include the amount of yessotoxin that is allowed to be found in living bivalve animals. In the substance that regulates the total calculated amount of marine biotoxins in whole bodies or edible parts of animals, the upper limit for yesso toxins was increased to 1 mg / kg, equivalent to yesso toxin, previously.

Bivalve molluscs mentioned in the regulation are mussels, oysters, clams and similar bivalve animals which are fed by filtering the nutrients in water (phytoplanktons in general). These animals also absorb and accumulate biotoxins, chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms in water during their feeding. Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison Group (DSP) toxins transmitted to these animals are known as shellfish poisons that are not lethal in humans but cause diarrhea. Toxins that cause this poisoning also include yessotoxin produced by prorocentrum algae species.

The directive 853 / 2004 / EC issued by the European Union for the hygiene of food of animal origin contains rules for the protection of people, in particular from brain diseases. The aforementioned regulation is based on this directive. The eleventh part of the regulation sets out special requirements for live bivalve molluscs.

Within the framework of biotoxin analysis in advanced laboratories, diarrhetic Shellfish Poison Group (DSP) intoxication analysis of yesso toxin (YTX) analysis is also carried out. These analyzes are based on standards and test methods published by national and international organizations. The standard considered in this respect is:

• TS EN 16204 Foodstuffs - Determination of lipophilic algae toxins in shellfish and shellfish by LC-MS / MS (octadaic acid toxins, yessotoxins, azaspiracids, pectonotoxins)