Portable device can quickly test for sickness-causing toxins in shellfish

Mussels, oysters, scallops and clams might be ingredients for fine cuisine, but they can also be a recipe for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). That's a gastrointestinal illness people can get if those tasty morsels contain marine toxins. Now, researchers are reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry the development of a portable, inexpensive device that can quickly and easily screen freshly caught shellfish for these substances.