Partially disposable biosensors for the quick assessment of damage in foodstuff after thermal treatment

A novel approach towards a quick, easy and reliable solution to the quite complex problems connected with the Amadori's compounds and furosine formation in several foodstuff is here proposed and based on enzymatic reactions, either as far as L-lysine release after partial hydrolysis from proteic material of the food matrix (bioavailable L-lysine), or as far as the determination of total and free L-lysine is concerned. The contribution proposes the use of specific L-lysine sensitive bioelectrodes for the evaluation of the possible heat damage through the rapid measure of L-lysine consumption. The L-lysine biosensor has been realized by immobilizing the enzyme L-lysine-α-oxidase (LOx) on an amperometric H2O2 sensitive electrode. The bioelectrode-enzymatic reaction arrangement allows to perform determinations of L-lysine and bioavailable L-lysine in foodstuff from different sources and after different thermal treatments in a very rapid inexpensive and reliable way in the range 1.0-33 ppm, with a limit of detection LOD = 0.5 ppm, so that a considerable number of samples can be easily monitored quickly and with very low costs. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.