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METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION OF MICROBIAL GROWTH OR THE INHIBITION THEREOF
EP4019972
The present invention provides a method and electrochemical system for the electrochemical detection of microbial metabolic activity, in particular living microorganism, in a sample or the detection of an antimicrobial compound in a sample using a redox mediator and an electrode system, wherein the metabolic activity or growth of a microorganism (present in or added to the sample) is assessed by measuring an electrical signal, in particular a potential or current output, via the electrode system, which is a measure of the oxidation of a redox mediator (in reduced form) at an electrode. The redox mediator (in oxidized form) is in its turn reduced by the metabolic activity and growth of the microorganism, thus allowing correlating the measured electrical signal with the presence of living microorganisms in the sample or the presence of an antimicrobial compound in the sample.
The invention deals with the fast and sensitive detection of bacterial growth. The invention can be used in the framework of antibiotics detection in e.g. milk samples and has the potential to replace the DELVO test, considered as the gold standard to determine the MRL in milk tanker loads.