Analysis of the potato glycoalkaloids by using of enzyme biosensor based on pH-ISFETs

The applicability of an enzyme biosensor based on pH-ISFETs for direct determination of total glycoalkaloids content in real potato samples, without any pre-treatment, is shown. The results of determination of the total glycoalkaloids concentrations in potato samples from different experimental varieties obtained by the biosensor are well correlated with the analogous data obtained by the HPLC method with standard complex sample pre-treatment procedure. The detection of total glycoalkaloids content by biosensors is reproducible, the relative standard deviation was around 3%. The dependence of total glycoalkaloids content on various parts of the potato tuber and their size, different growing area has been shown using the biosensor developed. The method based on biosensors is cheap, easy to operate and requires a shorter analysis time than the one needed using traditional methods for glycoalkaloids determination. The biosensor can operate directly on potato juice, or even directly on a suspension of potato or plant material. It can provide a way to save time and costs, with a possibility of taking rapid assessment of total glycoalkaloids content in a wide variety of potato cultivars. Furthermore the operational and storage stability of this biosensor are quite good with a drift lower than 1% per day and response being stable for more than 3 months.