Begoña Ben

Personal técnico I+D+i

Email: begona.ben@ieo.es

Bio

  • With Master Degrees in Pharmacy and Food Science and Tecnology, Begoña Ben Gigirey joined the Association of Fish and Seafood Cannery Companies, National Technical Centre for the Preservation of Fishery Products (ANFACO-CECOPESCA, Vigo) in 1995 for her Ph. D studies entitled “Chemical, microbiological and organoleptic modifications during the frozen storage of Thunnus alalunga. Evaluation of biogenic amines formation: identification, characterisation and molecular detection of producing microorganisms”. There she started her link with marine sciences by the analysis of seafood contaminants.
  • She commenced her studies in the marine biotoxins field in 2013 when she joined the Spanish and the European Union Reference Laboratories for Marine Biotoxins (EURLMB). She specialised in the development, implementation and validation of instrumental methods for the analysis of Amnesic, Lipophillic and Paralytic marine biotoxins. Her duties in the EURLMB allowed her to coordinate Working Groups of the EU National Reference Laboratories for Marine Biotoxins, to participate in Spanish and EU Meetings relevant to the marine biotoxins field, to provide training to staff working in laboratories from different countries, to develop and coordinate Proficiency Testing Schemes for marine biotoxins, among others. In the EURMB she also started her research activities in marine biotoxins produced by Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs), with participation in International Congresses and several publications.
  • In January 2020 she joined the Spanish Oceanographic Institute at Vigo. She is now involved in research activities within the HABs group.

    PUBLICATIONS IN THE MARINE BIOTOXINS FIELD

    Villar González, A.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; Ben-Gigirey, B.; & Botana L.M. First evidence of spirolides in Spanish shellfish. Toxicon: 48: 1068-1074. 2006.

    Ben-Gigirey, B.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; Villar-González, A. & Botana L.M. Influence of the sample toxic profile on the suitability of an HPLC method for Official paralytic shellfish toxins control. J. Chromatography A 1140: 78-87. 2007.

    Villar-González, A.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; Ben-Gigirey, B.; & Botana L.M. Lipophilic toxin profile in Galicia (Spain): 2005 toxic episode. Toxicon: 49: 1129-1134. 2007.

    Fonfría, S.; Vilariño, N.; Campbell, K.; Elliott, C.; Haughey, S.A.; Ben-Gigirey, B.; Vieites, J.M.; Kawatsu,K. & Botana L.M. Paralytic shellfish poisoning detection by surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors in shellfish matrixes. Analytical chemistry: 79: 6303-6311. 2007.

    Ben, B. & Villar A. Chapter 10, pp.:177-196: Chemical analysis (Part IV. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)) in Seafood and Freshwater Toxins. Pharmacology Physiology and Detection. Taylor & Francis. (Botana L.M. Ed) Second edition. 2008.

    Villar-González, A.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; Ben-Gigirey, B.; Yasumoto, T. & Botana L.M. Assessment of the hydrolysis process for the determination of okadaic acid-group toxin ester: Presence of okadaic acid 7-O-acyl-ester derivates in Spanish shellfish. Toxicon: 51: 765-773. 2008.

    Ben-Gigirey, B.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; & Gago-Martínez A. Interlaboratory study for the extension of the validation of 2005.06 AOAC Official Method for dc-GTX2,3. J. AOAC International, 95 (1) 111-121. 2012.

    Ben-Gigirey, B.; Rodríguez-Velasco M.L.; Otero, A., Vieites, J.M. & Cabado A.G. A comparative study for PSP toxins quantification by using MBA and HPLC Official Methods in shellfish. Toxicon, 60: 864-873. 2012

    Martínez, A., Garrido, A., Ben-Gigirey B., Chapela M.J., González, V., Vieites J.M, & Cabado A.G Chapter 37, pp 869-904: Marine Biotoxins in Handbook of Marine Biotechnology, (Prof. Se-Kwon Kim Ed). Springer. 2015.

    Ben-Gigirey B., Turner A., Gago-Martínez A. Chapter 3, pp: 43-69: Instrumental methods for Paralytic Shellfish Toxins: Marine & Freshwater Toxins, (P., Haddad Jr., V., Tubaro, A., Kim, E., Kem, W.R. (Eds.), Springer. 2016.