An electrochemical method for determination of cell respiration

✍ Scribed by Dr. K. Riedel; P. Liebs; R. Renneberg

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 315 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0233-111X
• DOI: 10.1002/jobm.3620250115

✦ Synopsis

Tho respiration of microorganisms was determined with a sensor composed of microorganisms and an oxygen electrode. The microorganisms (suspensions of about 100 p1) are sedimcnted by centrifugation in a special tube on a very thin paper layer (diameter 4 mm). This paper layer is sandwiched between a polyethylene membrane and a dialysis membrane. A linear relationship is obtained between the current and the cell mass of Bacillus subtilis (between 0.05-0.35 mg dry weight per electrode preparation). When an assimilable substrate is added to the measuring solution the respiration rate is increased. It is possible to determine very fast changes in the respiration rates (1-5 sec). The application of this electrode system for investigations of the physiological state of cells during the growth cyclus is demonstrated.

Cell respiration has been studied up to now using the manometric method of WAR-BURG (KLEINZELLER 1965) and by the estimation of dissolved oxygen concentration with electrochemical (galvanometric or polarographic) methods (LEE and TSAO 1978).

I n biotechnology mainly the latter methods are used.

Recently several enzyme, organelle and microbial electrodes have been developed