Amperometric biosensors based on enzymes are interesting due to their high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, simplicity, low cost and rapid response. The most frequently used enzymatic methods for glucose determination employ glucose oxidase (GOD), due to its high selectivity towards ß-D-glucose. In the presence of GOD, the oxidation of glucose occurs, producing H 2 O 2 . Most commonly, the electrochemical detection is performed through the anodic oxidation of H 2 O 2 [1]. A drawback with this detection technique is that high overvoltages are required, and an applied potential in the range of 0.6-1.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl is necessary. Working at such high potentials increases the risk of interference from easily oxidisable compounds such as ascorbate, ureate, acetaminophen, paracetamol, phenols, etc. which are common compounds in biological samples.A possible way of improving the selectivity of such a biosensor is to couple a second enzyme (peroxidase) to the oxidase, creating a bienzymatic sensor. Peroxidase catalyses the electrochemical reduction of H 2 O 2 produced by GOD through a direct electron transfer reaction at a much lower applied potential compared with electrochemical oxidation of H 2 O 2 and maximum catalytic current can be obtained at carbon electrodes in a potential range of -0.1 and 0 V [2-14]. However, the kinetics of the direct electron transfer from an electrode to the peroxidase is a sluggish process [15][16][17] hence the advantage of using a mediator.The introduction of a mediator in the bienzymatic system (GOD/HRP) leads to an acceleration of the electron transfer, a decrease in the applied working potential (the reduction of the mediator is detected at the electrode) and an increase in sensitivity. The use of mediators is a well-known technique although the way of adding the mediator to the bienzymatic system (oxidase/peroxidase) may vary. A number of different mediators have been used as additions into sample solutions such as, potassium hexacyanoferrate (II) [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] [44,45], and Nafion-Nmethyl phenazinium [46]. The advantages of using the redox polymers are several, but mainly they result in more stable biosensors since leaking of the mediator from the electrode is minimised and higher and faster responses are observed due to the proximity between the enzyme and the mediator. Although, choosing an appropriate bulk matrix and mediator concentration these properties can be achieved with nonpolymeric mediators and recently a ferrocene mediated bienzymatic graphite-Teflon electrode has been developed for batch and flow-injection measurements [47]. On the other hand several biosensors based on monoenzymatic electrodes
649The synergetIc effect of redox mediators and peroxidase in a bienzymatic biosensor for glucose assays in FIA Abstract. A bienzymatic biosensor incorporating a mediator has been developed in order to achieve a fast and selective detection of glucose in a flow injection system. The working electrode is based on a carbon paste matrix bulk modified with glucose ...