A laccase/chitosan‐lambda‐carrageenan based voltammetric biosensor for phenolic compound detection

In this contribution, a new concept of voltammetric catechol biosensor, based on the encapsulation of laccase (LAC) in a chitosan+lambda-carrageenan (CHIT+CAR) polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) employing a simple coacervation process is presented. Chitosan (CHIT) was prepared from alpha-chitin extracted from shrimp shells and lambda-carrageenan (CAR) was extracted from red algae, both polysaccharides and PEC being characterized using FTIR spectrometry and electrochemistry. Cyclic voltammetry was utilized to determine the analytical features of the laccase (LAC) biosensor for catechol detection. The linear range was from 10(-20) M to 10(-14) M with a sensitivity of 1.55 mA/p[catechol] and a limit of detection of 3x10(-21) M.The laccase biosensor exhibits good repeatability (RSD 2.38 %) and stability (four weeks). The developed biosensor was tested by applying it to the evaluation of the total polyphenolic content in natural oil samples.