A Fiber Optic Lactate Biosensor with an Oxygen Optrode as the Transducer

Abstract
A biosensor for continuous determination of lactate is presented. Lactate monooxygenase was immobilized covalently on nylon membranes, and the consumption of oxygen was measured by following, via a fiber optic bundle, the changes in the fluorescence of an oxygen-sensitive dye dissolved in 10- and 25-um silicone membranes placed beneath the enzyme layer. Oxygen is consumed as a result of the oxidation of lactate by the enzyme, and the decrease in its partial pressure is indicated by the fluorescent dye. For two types of sensors (with different nylon membranes and different thicknesses of the indicator layer) the analytical ranges were 2–50 mM and 0.3–6.0 mM, with response times (t90) of 2.3–3.0 and 4.0–6.0 min, respectively.