Acrylamide is formed out of amino acid asparagine and reduced sugars as a result of food processing at high temperatures. Due to its neurotoxicity and genotoxicity, its determination in food has recently become more important. In addition to standard methods, newer and more advanced methods, including biosensors, are increasingly being used and developed for its determination. These analytical instruments convert the response of a biological sensing element into a measurable electrical signal by a transducer. Simple biosensors of the first generation have recently been upgraded and improved by utilisation of different components and their modifications. Thus, they possess an enhanced specificity, speed, detection limit and linearity. Haemoglobin is commonly used to determine acrylamide as it reacts with acrylamide present in the sample. As a result a change in the measured electric current occurs, which is the basis for the quantitative determination of acrylamide in food samples. Two examples of such biosensors are presented in the thesis. They both show a lower limit of analyte detection, a wider working range and a longer storage potential compared to previously developed biosensors. They also have several other advantages over standard methods for determination of acrylamide in foods.
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