MATHEMATICAL MODEL CHARACTERIZING THE RELEASE RATES OF THE VITAMIN B12 (VB12) LOADED COLLAGEN MATRICES

Collagen fibrils can act as a substrate carrying biosensor that can be used to detect the presence of date rape drugs in a drink. Vitamin B12 (VB12) was chosen as analogous to methyl red (MR), the indicator of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, a commonly used date rape drug. A mathematical model was developed to describe the release rates of the biosensor from collagen matrix. The model was developed using the partial differential mass transfer equation. It was apparent that the diffusion co-efficient was the parameter that determined the release rates. This diffusivity was directly related to the pore size of the collagen matrix. By controlling the pore size during the collagen matrix preparation techniques, the diffusion-coefficient can be controlled as well. The theoretical model was compared to the experimental data by using Chi- Square hypothesis test. The null hypothesis test using chi-square method proved that the mathematical model cannot be rejected with 99.99 % certainty