Determining toxins and harmful contaminants in starfish for future application as organic fertilizer and animal feed

Starfish play a crucial role as extraordinary predators in marine ecosystems. They often prey on bivalves, which serve as primary economic resources in certain regions, making their management a top priority. As a result, cleaning operations have been conducted to remove starfish from the coasts, le...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Turull, Marta, Budiño, Belén, Savarino, Philippe, Gerbaux, Pascal, Rambla-Alegre, Maria, Cabaleiro, Santiago, Díez, Sergi
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/389600
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/389600
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105004455674
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Organic pollutants
Asterias rubens
Galician coast
Marthasterias glacialis
Metals
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Descripción
Sumario:Starfish play a crucial role as extraordinary predators in marine ecosystems. They often prey on bivalves, which serve as primary economic resources in certain regions, making their management a top priority. As a result, cleaning operations have been conducted to remove starfish from the coasts, leading to the accumulation of significant waste. Within the context of the circular economy, there is potential for valorizing starfish, transforming them from waste products into valuable resources. However, before doing so, it is essential to analyze the contaminants that starfish can accumulate. To address this, a study was conducted to analyze pollutants in two species of starfish: Marthasterias glacialis and Asterias rubens, collected from the Galician Spanish shores. The goal was to assess their suitability for use as animal feed or fertilizer in agriculture. The study employed optimized methodologies to analyze trace elements, saponins, marine toxins and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The validated protocols for determining these contaminants in starfish showed an acceptable performance in detection, showing the quality parameters of the analytical analysis (recoveries, precision, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ)). Results indicated that concentrations of the legislated contaminants in the starfish samples from the Galician shores did not exceed the current EU legislation standards. Consequently, in terms of toxicology, starfish matrix could be considered a suitable raw material for the use in animal feed or as crop fertilizer.