PLANT-TISSUE ELECTRODE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CATECHOL

A device based on the presence of polyphenol oxidase in potato (Solanum tuberosum) tissue was set up to determine catechol. The sensor is realized by coupling a thin slice of potato tissue with a Clark electrode capable of measuring oxygen evolution from a catechol solution. In the concentration range 2.5 X 10(-5) -2.3 X 10(-4) M there is perfect linearity between the electrode signal and catechol concentration in solution. The high stability and the reliability and reproducibility of the results, tested over a period longer than 3 months, and the sensitivity of the device towards mono- and polyphenol derivatives, allow the application of such a system in physiological and pharmacological quality control