Alimentos e Nutrição (Nov 2008)
OXIDOREDUCTASES FOR BIOANALYSIS AND FOOD CONTROLS
Abstract
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"> Most well-known enzymatic methods have been employed in the bioanalysis of food, required by law in a number of countries. Food is a complex sample and hence difficult to analyze. In food analysis, there are many different types of sample, such as: clear or turbid, colorless or colored, neutral or acid, liquids, pastes and solids, that can be analyzed by enzymatic methods. The oxidase - peroxidase system may be used for specific analyses. In the reaction catalyzed by the oxidase, hydrogen is transferred from the substrate to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide is formed as an intermediate. Hydrogen peroxide then reacts with a leuco dye in the presence of the enzyme peroxidase and a color develops which is measured in the visible spectrum. This article is a review of two enzymes, peroxidase (POD) and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase (GPO), pointing out their principal sources, characteristics and applications.
