Multisensor systems based on phthalocyanines for monitoring the quality of grapes

Abstract

Arrays of phthalocyanine-based sensors with complementary activity have been used to develop voltammetric electronic tongues. Such systems have demonstrated to be useful in enology for the evaluation of quality of wines in different production stages, from grapes to bottles. In this paper, the state of the art of multisensor systems based on phthalocyanines dedicated to the analysis of musts (juices obtained from crushed grapes) is described. Such multisensor systems cover different types of sensors from simple Carbon Paste Electrodes, to sophiticated nanostructured sensors, including Langmuir–Blodgett or Layer by Layer thin films and biomimetic biosensors where phthalocyanines play a crucial role as electron mediator between enzymes and electrodes. In all cases, multisensor systems based on phthalocyanines have been able to discriminate musts prepared from different varieties of grapes. The performance of these systems can be improved by combining non-specific sensors with biosensors containing enzymes selective to phenols. In this case, excellent relationships have been found between the responses provided by the array and the content in phenols and acids provided by traditional chemical analysis.