Biosensors: alcohol and glucose detection

Abstract

A unique approach of developing a simple enzymatic technique for detection of analytes, alcohol and glucose, in body fluids was described. The proposed assay system was mainly composed of buffer, 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), and enzymes. The analytes were bio-catalyzed by the respective enzymes, alcohol oxidase (AOx) and glucose oxidase (GOx) to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This was followed by the horseradise peroxide (HRP)-catalyzed reaction to oxidize the indicator solution, TMB, producing coloured compounds. The main measurement was the colour change due to TMB-oxidation process, affected directly by the amount of bio-targets present, and indirectly by the concentration of reagents. The application was performed on nitrocellulose strips and cellulose pads, using spot tests. Investigations also focused on enzyme stabilization and shelf-life.