APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC REACTION-RATE METHODS BY USE OF IMMOBILIZED ENZYMES IN CONTINUOUS-FLOW SYSTEMS

Three continuous-flow approaches to the development of spectrophotometric reaction-rate methods based on the use of immobilized enzymes are proposed. They are based on the use of an optical biosensor that integrates reaction and detection in the flow cell; or reversing the flow direction and passing the sample plug iteratively through the enzyme reactor and the detector; or a cyclic system that allows the sample plug to be trapped in a circuit that includes the enzyme reactor and the detector. A parameter was defined to compare the features of the methods developed by using these three approaches.