A modified electrode was prepared using electrodeposition methods to immobilize caffeic acid (CAF) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to create a polymer suitable for biosensor development. The polymer film coverage of the surface bound species was further optimized using electrodeposition methods, thus increasing the surface coverage to ca. 10−9 mol cm−2. Using cyclic voltammetry, the modified carbon electrode was used to facilitate and observe the electrocatalytic oxidation of coenzymes such as NADH, cysteine, and glutathione at different concentrations. A calibration curve was determined in each case within the concentration range; 300 nM to 10 mM, with the limits of detection (LOD) of 246 µM, 99 µM, 2.2 µM for NADH, cysteine, and glutathione respectively.

Poly(caffeic acid) polymer was immobilized onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode via electropolymerization. Voltammetry shows a signal related to the two‐electron oxidation of the immobilized hydroquinone groups in the caffeic acid monomer units. The modified electrode in aqueous solution shows complexation of the electrogenerated o‐quinone species with melamine thus allowing in the electrochemical detection of melamine by recording the shift in potential of the oxidation signal of the polymer. Melamine detection was investigated in pure aqueous solutions and in the presence of milk powder solutions and the proposed analytical method of melamine detection in milk powder was applied successfully with an average recovery of ca. (91±7.9)%.