definition
Phycotoxins are natural metabolites produced by microalgae, they are small to medium sized and belong to many different groups of chemical compounds, including amino acids, alkaloids and polyketides, moreover they have distinct molecular mechanism action.
Marine biotoxins are natural contaminants of marine environment, they are a heterogeneous group of chemical compounds produced by phytoplanktonic microorganisms, which accumulate in marine organisms, especially filter-feeder bivalve.
These compounds are secondary metabolites, since they are non-fundamental for the microorganisms which produce them, often characterized by a very complex structure, one of the most complex in nature [2].
At the same time they have some differences: they can have high or low molecular weight or they can be polar or very hydrophobic [2].
food matrices
