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Enzyme and Microbial Biosensors pp 199–223Cite as

Microbial biosensors based on oxygen electrodes

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Part of the Methods in Biotechnology book series (MIBT,volume 6)

Abstract

Microbial sensors are based on microorganisms in intimate contact with a transducer, which converts the biochemical signal into a quantifiable electrical response signal. The aim of this combination is the sensitive determination of a large spectrum of substances in various fields, especially in brotechnology and pollution control. The use of microbial cells in place of isolated enzymes offers several advantages over enzyme electrodes, such as, elimination of the tedious enzyme extraction and purification steps, avoidance of the need for a cofactor, and increased stability. The microbial sensors show an increased stability because of the enzyme environment is optimized by evolution and well suited for recovery. These sensors are essentially living and may be fed and kept alive for a long period. Furthermore, the whole cell may perform multistep transformations that could be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with single enzymes. However, microbial sensors suffer from the multireceptor behavior of intact cells, resulting in a rather poor selectivity. This ability to recognize a group of substances has been exploited for the determination of complex variables, such as the sum of biodegradable compounds in waste water (BOD) (1, 2 and mutagenicity of compounds (3). Moreover, the enormous wealth of microorganisms with a wide spectrum of metabolic types is an inexhaustible reserve for many uses of biosensors. A particular advantage is the ability to measure the respiratory activity of microorganisms and its alteration as a result of the presence of a tested substance.

Keywords

  • Biochemical Oxygen Demand
  • Dialysis Membrane
  • Oxygen Electrode
  • Measuring Chamber
  • Enzyme Electrode

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Bruno Lange GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Klaus Riedel

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  1. Klaus Riedel
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Riverside, CA

    Ashok Mulchandani

  2. US-EPA, Las Vegas, NV

    Kim R. Rogers

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© 1998 Humana Press Inc.

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Riedel, K. (1998). Microbial biosensors based on oxygen electrodes. In: Mulchandani, A., Rogers, K.R. (eds) Enzyme and Microbial Biosensors. Methods in Biotechnology, vol 6. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-410-0:199

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-410-0:199

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-410-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-484-9

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