Effect of initial carbon sources on the electrochemical detection of glucose by Gluconobacter oxydans

An electrochemical system consisted of Gluconobacter oxydans as a microorganism and 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (HNQ) as a mediator has been setup to examine the effect of initial carbon sources on the detection of glucose. Catalytic current due to the oxidation of glucose was observed only when both G. oxydans and HNQ were present. From amperometric measurements, it was found that the sensitivity strongly depended on the initial carbon sources. The sensitivity was highest for the cells cultured in a fructose-containing medium and decreased in the order, mannitol>sucrose>glucose>galactose>glycerol. The difference in sensitivity was explained by considering the current rising pattern at an initial stage of a microbial fuel cell constructed with the same components. The rising time, not the fuel cell efficiency, could directly be related to the sensitivity order. A sensor where G. oxydans was confined at the vicinity of the electrode by the semipermeable membrane was constructed. A linear response over a millimolar range of glucose concentration was observed with a cell grown in galactose-containing medium. This work demonstrates that the initial carbon source play an important role on glucose sensoring and should be considered in a real application.