Direct minimally invasive enzymatic determination of tyramine in cheese using digital imaging

An enzymatic method for the direct (without pretreatment) minimally invasive tyramine determination in cheese is proposed. Colorimetric test strips containing tyramine oxidase (TAO), peroxidase and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (Q-TAO), allow tyramine determination through the RGB chromatic coordinates of the observed blue colour (LOD = 2.6·10−6 M, LOQ = 8.7·10−6 M, RSD% (n = 5; 1.8·10−4 M) = 3.2%). The strips are inserted in the sample for 2 min and then the RGB coordinates are measured using a smartphone. Previously, these Q-TAO strips have been also optimized for tyramine determination in cheese extract. To do that, a spectrophotometric method in solution for tyramine determination in cheese extracts has been developed, which included an in-depth study of the indicating reaction; this study has allowed to gain new information about the spectroscopic properties of different TMB species and, which it is more important, to detect cross-reactions between TAO and TMB species. A mathematical model has also been developed which relate the RGB signals obtained with the tyramine concentrations, the instrumental characteristics of the smartphone and the spectroscopic properties of the absorbing product of the enzymatic reaction. [Display omitted] •The combined absorbance of TMB at 450 and 650 increases the linear response range.•Tyramine is minimally invasive determined in cheese by smartphone-RGB colorimetry.•RG gives the best analytical figures of merit, robustness and versatility.•Tyramine test sticks have been obtained from those commercially-available for H2O2.•A model allows to predict the analytical behavior of a dye different from TMB.