Yudinà N.Yu., Arlyapov V.A.

Tula State University, Russia, Tula
Development of mediator amperometric biosensor for rapid analysis of biochemical oxygen demand

To assess the degree of contamination of the water is often used such a parameter  - biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Currently, all companies and water treatment plants using for daily analysis of water samples the standard method, the duration of which is 5 days. Alternatives are express methods for determining the BOD - biosensors using analyzers based on the use of microorganisms, capable of oxidizing a wide range of organic compounds [1]. An important distinction between this method and the standard technique is to reduce the analysis time from 5 days to 10 - 20 min. Significant progress in the development of amperometric biosensors has become possible by the use of compounds capable for transferring electrons from the active sites of enzymes to the electrode - electron transport mediators. It is known that the surface localization of enzymes in the membranes of bacterial cells facilitates their interaction with the electron transport mediators. Thus, for the determination of organic compounds in the sample (in particular the definition of the BOD index) can be used mediator biosensors, based on bacteria Gluconobacier oxydans, contating membrane localized enzymes. Thus, the aim is to develop a mediator amperometric biosensor for rapid analysis of BOD based on bacteria Gluconobacier oxydans.

Materials and methods. Electrochemical measurements were performed using galvanic potentiostat «IPC-micro» («Kronas», Moscow, Russia), integrated with the PC. Range of recording amperage is 5 nA to 20 uA. To recording the sensor response using the two electrode system. The working electrode was a carbon paste electrode with the immobilized bacterial cells G. oxydans, the reference electrode - silver chloride. As electron transport mediator used ferrocene at a constant potential 250 mV. Measurements were performed in phosphate buffer pH 6.0.

As biomaterial were chosen acetic acid bacterial cells Gluconobacter oxydans. When introducing the substrate into the measurement cell microorganisms oxidize it, in consequence of which a change in the current flowing in the system over time [2].

Results and discussion. Bacteria G.oxydans have wide substrate specificity and are able to oxidize many alcohols (ethanol, propanol, butanol, amyl alcohol, glycerol, sorbitol), carbohydrate (D-glucose, D-xylose, D-galactose, D-mannose, D-maltose L-arabinose, D-fructose, D-ribose), amino acids and other organic substances, which is a promising for determining BOD index.

A mixture of glucose and glutamic acid (GGA) at a ratio of 1:1 (w/w) was taken as a model mixture; it is used as the standard in BOD5 detection in the Russian Federation and in international practice (BOD5 = 0.68 × CGGA) [3].

Important characteristics of the biosensor are operational and long-term stability. Operating stability shows resistance sensor response on the same substrate concentration during a large number of successive measurements. Answers sensor remained stable over the 15 measurements, the relative standard deviation was 4.8%.

Long-term stability characterized the sensor resistance over a long period of time. Long-term stability of the sensors, based on bacteria G.oxydans was 13 days.
To obtain quantitative information on the content of the analytes in the sample need to know characteristics of biosensor calibration, i.e. the dependence of the concentration of the analytical signal. The dependence of the response of the sensor BOD has a hyperbolic shape and was approximated by the Michaelis-Menten equation.

To reduce the error of analysis is often limited to the use of the linear portion of the calibration curve. The numerical value of the upper limit of detectable concentrations of BOD is constant Mihaelesa, K'm and was 440 ± 40 mg/dm3. The bottom line of the area is the lower limit of detectable concentrations of BOD, which was 5.1 mg/dm3. The high value of the lower limit of detectable concentrations of BOD (5 mg/dm3) does not allow to analyze samples of tap water, where the BOD value is in the range 0.5 - 1.9 mg/dm3. But perhaps express BOD polluted water, as well as semi-fermented, where BOD value is greater than 5 mg/dm3. Thus, the range of detectable concentrations of BOD is 5.1 - 440 mg/dm3.

An important characteristic of this method become its rapidity. Time of analysis using amperometric sensors BOD based on G.oxydans bacteria does not exceed 15 minutes. On the last step has been made the measurement of the BOD5 of real samples of water and semi-fermented using the developed biosensor bacteria G.oxydans. It is shown that the use of the mediator biosensor bacteria G.oxydans for BOD water samples and semi-fermentation products are allows data to be highly correlated with the reference method (R = 0,9875). Thus, the mediator BOD biosensor can be effectively used to determine the BOD5 in water samples with BOD values ​​greater than 6 mg/dm3.

References

1.                Bourgeois W., Burgess J.E., Stuetz R.M. On-line monitoring of wastewater quality: a review // Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. 2001. V 76. P. 337-348.

2.                Deppenmeier U., Hoffmeister M., Prust C. Biochemistry and biotechnological applications of Gluconobacter strains Appl Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2002. V. 60. P. 233–242.

3.                Environmental Normative Documents, Federative 14. 1:2:3:4. 123-97. Quantitative chemical water analysis. The method of measurements of biochemical oxygen demand after n days of incubation (BODcompl) in the surface fresh, subsurface (ground), drinking, waste, and purified wastewaters. Moscow, 1997, 25 pp.

 

Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the Federal Goal-oriented Program “Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Cadres of Innovative Russia” for 2009–2013, State Contract No 16.740.11.0766 and agreement 14.B37.21.0561