Find Cost Effective Glucose Oxidase

Gox is usually used to determinate the free glucose in body fluids, in vegetal raw material, and in the food industry. It also has many uses in biotechnologies, normally enzyme examines for biochemistry including biosensors in nanotechnologies.

Function of Glucose Oxidase

Glucose oxidase is synthesized in different species of fungi and insects where it is used to produce hydrogen peroxide which in turn kills bacteria. This unknown enzyme, while playing only a minor role in natural settings, has become the center of a billion biotech industry. It is utilized as the heart of biosensors that measure the amount of glucose in blood. The trick to these biosensors is that the enzyme takes something that is complex to measure glucose and creates something that is simple to measure--hydrogen peroxide. A typical laboratory glucose meter comprises some of the enzyme trapped inside a membrane. Glucose enters the sensor and is transformed to glucolactone. In the procedure, hydrogen peroxide is formed, which is then sensed by a platinum electrode. The more glucose there is in the sample, the more peroxide is produced, and the stronger the signal at the electrode.

Controlling Price

Platinum electrodes are costly, so newer biosensors utilize a serendipitous property of Gox to create even more price affordable glucose meters. Gox is very particular for glucose in the initial oxidation reaction, but can use many diverse compounds as the final electron acceptor, not just oxygen. So, biotech researchers have improved different "mediator" molecules, such as ferrocene, to work in place of oxygen. These molecules pick up electrons from the glucose reaction, and then bring them directly to a cheaper type of electrode.

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