In this study, we developed a pioneering non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor utilizing a flexible porous graphene electrode modified with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO/fPGE sensor) to assess hypoxanthine (HXA) content in pork at post-mortem time. The ZnO/fPGE sensor was synthesized via hydrothermal method and direct laser writing with a CO2 laser on a polyimide film at ambient conditions. Its characterization was analyzed by Raman, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetric techniques. Linear response, the limit of detection, and sensitivity to the HXA were enhanced with the values of the range from 1.5 to 150, 0.14 µM, and 6.6 µA μM−1 cm−2, respectively. Effective resistance to common physiological interferences (such as uric acid, ascorbic acid, dopamine, glucose, and xanthine) was indicated, and additionally, the determination of HXA concentration in real samples with good selectivity is attributed to the synergistic effects between ZnO nanoparticles and fPGE. Therefore, the ZnO/fPGE has provided a favorable electrical environment for developing high-performance electrochemical biosensors to determine hypoxanthine in pork meat.
