Evaluation of impedance spectroscopy as a transduction method for bacterial biosensors

Abstract

Biosensors are simple, feasible and cost-effective devices where biological specificity and selectivity, and electronic miniaturization are combined. Degrading microorganisms, such as the M7 species of Streptomyces genus, can specifically be used as biorecognition element, for lindane detection and quantification. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique that allows evaluating bacterial activity by measuring conductivity changes in a culture medium. In this work, instrumental conditions were optimized to apply this method as transduction principle in bacterial biosensors. By means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, concentrations of chloride ions close to the environmental lindane values were measured. This is a suitable, simple and economical technique for use as a transduction method in biorecognition devices for organochlorine pesticides detection, particularly lindane.