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Electrochemical sensor for α-amylase determination using porous graphene on a flexible substrate

Nguyen Kim Hoai Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nguyen Van Thuc Le Khanh Toan Nguyen Anh Tuan Nguyen Minh Ngoc Nguyen Xuan Viet
Received: 27 Aug 2025
Revised: 24 Sep 2025
Accepted: 25 Sep 2025
Published: 30 Sep 2025

Article Details

How to Cite
Nguyen Kim Hoai, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Van Thuc, Le Khanh Toan, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Minh Ngoc, Nguyen Xuan Viet. "Electrochemical sensor for α-amylase determination using porous graphene on a flexible substrate". Vietnam Journal of Food Control. vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 235-242, 2025
PP
235-242
Counter
89

Main Article Content

Abstract

α-Amylase is an endo-acting enzyme that hydrolyzes α-1,4-glucan linkages in starch and has broad applications in the beverage, food, and biomedical industries. Conventional quantification techniques (e.g., spectroscopy, ELISA) typically require expensive instrumentation, complex workflows, and long analysis times. Here, we present a flexible electrochemical sensor based on laser-scribed porous graphene on a polymer substrate, which increases the electroactive surface area and enhances interfacial electron transfer, thereby improving sensitivity. α-Amylase is quantified indirectly via the amount of maltose produced during enzyme-catalyzed starch hydrolysis in neutral buffer; maltose subsequently reduces K3[Fe(CN)6] to K4[Fe(CN)6] in alkaline medium, and the electrochemical oxidation current of K4[Fe(CN)6] is proportional to α-amylase activity. Under optimized conditions, the sensor achieves a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.61 U/mL and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 1.08 U/mL, demonstrating its potential as a simple, low-cost, and point-of-care–deployable approach for α-amylase determination in food, industrial, and clinical samples.

Keywords:

α-amylase, electrochemical sensor on flexible substrate, porous graphene.

References

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