Simultaneous mixture analysis using a dynamic microbial sensor combined with chemometrics.

A biosensor consisting of immobilized microbial cells and an oxygen electrode was used in a flow-through system as a microbial sensor flow injection analyzer (FIA). For different organic analytes, the metabolism of vital cells provides individual time-resolved responses with distinct time-dependent amplitudes. Chemometrical data analysis revealed that the individual responses are additive and depend linearly on single analyte concentrations. Based on these observations, simultaneous multicomponent analysis of organic mixtures was carried out in the FIA's time domain with analytical errors of less than 10%. For mixture analysis and monitoring in processes like enzymatic conversions, the described microbial sensor FIA ("dynamic microbial sensor") offers an alternative to expensive analytical equipment.