Dual enzymatic biosensor for simultaneous amperometric determination of histamine and putrescine

•Simultaneous determination of putrescine (Put) and histamine (His) using dual disposable biosensors.•High degree of sensitivity and selectivity in the analysis of Put and His.•Application to the simultaneous analysis of Put and His in complex samples. A disposable electrodic system consisting of two working electrodes connected in array mode has been developed for the simultaneous determination of histamine (His) and putrescine (Put). Histamine deshydrogenase and putrescine oxidase enzymes were respectively immobilized by crosslinking on each working screen-printed electrode, both modified with tetrathiafulvalene. The dual system allowed the simultaneous amperometric determination of both species by measuring the oxidation current of the mediator in each working electrode. The effect of other potentially interfering biogenic amines was also evaluated. The capability of detection was of 8.1±0.7 for His and 10±0.6μM for Put. The precision in terms of relative standard deviation was of 3.5% and 6.7% for His and Put, respectively. The developed biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of His and Put in different food samples.