Development and Performance Evaluation of Low-Cost Cellophane Paper-Based Biosensors for Polyphenol Detection in Teas: A Cost-Effective Alternative to Teflon® Membranes Biosensors

Abstract

This study introduces biosensors developed using cellophane paper with immobilized polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from dwarf banana and eggplant peels, integrated with glutaraldehyde and a Clark electrode. These biosensors, optimized for enzyme concentration at 75 units for dwarf banana peel and 100 units for eggplant peel, demonstrated high sensitivity to catechol, paracetamol, pyrogallol, and hydroquinone, similar to traditional Teflon® Clark electrodes. Despite the lower measurement capacity of cellophane membranes (20-30) compared to Teflon's (300-400), the cost-effectiveness and accessibility of cellophane offer a strategic advantage. These biosensors effectively quantified polyphenols in teas, with results closely matching those from the standard Folin-Dennis method and Teflon® electrodes, maintaining a 95% confidence level and an error margin of less than 1%. Hence, the cellophane paper-based biosensors present a cost-effective, efficient alternative for polyphenol detection in teas, promising broader application due to their affordability and performance.