Fabrication of Tyrosinase Biosensor Based on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes‐Chitosan Composite and Its Application to Rapid Determination of Coliforms

A tyrosinase (Tyr) biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing Tyr on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)‐chitosan (Chit) composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The MWNTs‐Chit composite film provided a biocompatible platform for the Tyr to retain the bioactivity and the MWNTs possessed excellent inherent conductivity to enhance the electron transfer rate. The Tyr/MWNTs‐Chit/GCE biosensor showed high sensitivity (412 mA/M), broad linear response (1.0×10 −8 –2.8×10 −5 M), low detection limit (5.0 nM) and good stability (remained 93% after 10 days) for determination of phenol. The biosensor was further applied to rapid detection of the coliforms, represented by Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) in this work. The current responses were proportional to the quantity of coliforms in the range of 10 4 –10 6 cfu/mL. After 5.0 h of incubation, E. coli could be detected as low as 10 cfu/mL.