Measurement Time Reduction by Means of Mathematical Modeling of Enzyme Mediated RedOx Reaction in Food Samples Biosensors

Abstract

The possibility of measuring in real time the different types of analytes present in food is becoming a requirement in food industry. In this context, biosensors are presented as an alternative to traditional analytical methodologies due to their specificity, high sensitivity and ability to work in real time. It has been observed that the behavior of the analysis curves of the biosensors follow a trend that is reproducible among all the measurements and that is specific to the reaction that occurs in the electrochemical cell and the analyte being analyzed. Kinetic reaction modeling is a widely used method to model processes that occur within the sensors, and this leads to the idea that a mathematical approximation can mimic the electrochemical reaction that takes place while the analysis of the sample is ongoing. For this purpose, a novel mathematical model is proposed to approximate the enzymatic reaction within the biosensor in real time, so the output of the measurement can be estimated in advance. The proposed model is based on adjusting an exponential decay model to the response of the biosensors using a nonlinear least-square method to minimize the error. The obtained results show that our proposed approach is capable of reducing about 40% the required measurement time in the sample analysis phase, while keeping the error rate low enough to meet the accuracy standards of the food industry.

Editorial to the Special Issue SELSA: “Sensors for Environmental and Life Science Applications”

“…SELSA SI features eight original contributions that emphasize the role of mathematical modelling intended to decrease measurement time, which is absolutely necessary for the real-time detection of different analytes present in food [ 7 ], or to optimize the design of gravimetric, acoustic wave transducers [ 8 ]. Sensing performances depend on the understanding of each single physicochemical parameter while performing sensing measurements, e.g., pH and ionic strength [ 9 ].…”