摘要 |
This invention relates to a method for detecting and/or measuring the activity of a polysaccharide-hydrolysing enzyme (such as an amylase, cellulase, diastase, glucanase, xylanase or NSP). The method includes contacting a sample suspected of containing such an enzyme with a complex of a polysaccharide that is hydrolysable by the enzyme (such as starch, glycogen, arabinoxylan, cellulose, chitin or pectin) and an electrically active signal species or progenitor (such as Phadebas, Cibacron Brilliant Blue FN-G, ferricyanide, ferrocyanide, methylene blue, silver nano-particles or triiodide ions) such that action of the enzyme on the complex causes the release of the signal species or progenitor and the signal species is detected by means of a change in an electrical property (such as potential, capacitance, current, resistance, impedance, phase). Also disclosed is a device suitable for carrying out this method. |