1. Introduction
Cholesterol represents the main part of milk fat sterols. It is a mono-olefinic, secondary, high molecular, and complex alcohol [
1]. Cholesterol is an alcohol-like steroid found in human and animal organisms' cells and cell membranes and carried in the blood plasma. It is located in the structure of the cell wall and is known as one of the most essential sterols because it contributes to intercellular signal transmission (
Figure 1). Cholesterol has a vital importance in the human metabolism. It was first discovered in gallstones, in 1754, hence its name was derived from the Greek words chole-(bile) and stereos (solid) and the suffix-ol in chemistry [
2].
Humans obtain cholesterol mainly from animal foods. However, a very small part of it in the body is obtained from food, and the rest of it is synthesized within the body. Although it is found in every cell of the body, its density is higher in organs and tissues where it is synthesized, especially in the liver, spinal cord, brain, and arteries [
1,
2,
3,
4]. Its function is to modulate dietary fat absorption in the small intestine (as well as bile acids). It is one of the basic components of nerves and cell membranes. It is also a precursor for steroid hormones produced in the adrenal cortex, female and male sex hormones, and vitamin D, and is an essential substance for the development and growth of mammals [
1]. Apart from animals, cholesterol is an essential compound also found in plant and fungal organisms. It plays an important role in structure of the cell membranes, blood lipoproteins, and the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, vitamins, and bile acids. Its determination is very important not only for clinical examination but also for food quality control [
7,
8].
The presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood, results in its builds up on the walls of blood vessels and causing hardening and narrowing of the arteries, a medical condition called atherosclerosis. There are generally two types of cholesterol, defined by their carrier molecules. High levels of cholesterol carried by low-density lipoprotein (LDL), mostly refered to as the ‘bad cholesterol’ is the most harmful. The other type, carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is called ‘good cholesterol’. HDL is commonly found in the brain synapses, playing a key role in the immune system and protection against cancer [
4]. Higher cholesterol concentrations in the blood, especially the ones associated with LDL, cause some health problems including arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease [
9,
10,
11,
12,
13]. On the other hand, low concentration of cholesterol can cause anemia and fatigue syndrome. In addition, cholesterol sometimes combines with bile pigments and leads to the complications of gallstones [
6,
14,
15,
16].
The normal level of cholesterol in a normal adult human body ranges from 150-200 mg/dL. Significant amounts of cholesterol are synthesized by the body per day to compensate for the loss occurring in excretion and other ways [
17,
18,
19]. A daily intake of cholesterol of about 300mg for adults is recommended by food safety authorities [
20,
21].
To control cholesterol levels in the body, it is necessary to pay attention to several factors. These include but are not limited to food and nutrition as well as lifestyle such as habits that control blood pressure and body weight including smoking habits and increasing physical activity. This lowers plasma cholesterol concentrations and plasma lipids [
22].
Dietary habits have a significant effect on the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Dietary intake of high-animal-fat foods instead of plant-based intake of fruits, vegetables and dairy products causes an increase in the level of cholesterol in the blood [
23]. Although it has been stated that dietary fat intake has positive effects on human health, it is known to have a very significant effect on coronary heart disease. Determining total cholesterol in serum is important for clinical measurements. The high amount of cholesterol accumulates on the walls of various vessels and causes closure of the vessels, and as a result of the thyroid gland working a little, it causes thyroid disorder, diabetes, and jaundice [
24]. The amounts of cholesterol in different foods are given in
Table 1.
Accurate measurement of cholesterol in the body system is important in the diagnosis and treatment of cholesterol-based conditions. Modern amperometric and voltammetric measurement techniques are increasingly used in the measurement of cholesterol. Basic research on biological materials and chemicals has been the driving force in the development and application of analytical technologies for the determination of cholesterol [
25].
Measuring the presence of cholesterol in foods has been the subject of extensive research. In general, the production of electrodes for cholesterol detection is of great importance in terms of clinical tests. Additionally, monitoring the cholesterol level in blood and food is a critical parameter for diagnosing and preventing many diseases [
26]. Researchers have thus far developed different methods to monitor cholesterol, including colorimetry [
4,
27]. These are chromatographic [
28,
29,
30], fluorometric [
31,
32] and chemiluminescent methods [
33]. In general, many of these mentioned methods require expensive instrumentation, complex preparation procedures to precipitate lipoproteins, or lack accepted sensitivity and selectivity.
Various colorimetric, polarographic, chromatographic, spectrophotometric, and biosensor methods are used in the determination of cholesterol. However, these are generally time-consuming and expensive systems. Measurements made by gas and liquid chromatography are the most suitable for cholesterol detection in terms of separating cholesterol from other similar compounds as well as determining its quantity [
34]. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop systems that can determine the amount of cholesterol more accurately, in a shorter time, and at a lower cost. Generally, conventional methods such as colorimetry, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, polarography, thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography are used to measure cholesterol levels in the sample under investigation [
35,
36]. The majority of current sensors used are capable of adequately detecting free or esterified cholesterol. However, their originality is poor, complex, expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming [
18]. In the last decade, enzymatic, non-enzymatic, and redox mediator-based sensors have been developed for cholesterol detection in enzymatic systems, enzymes such as cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) or cholesterol esterase (CE) catalyze the hydrolysis of cholesterol ester, resulting in the formation of fatty acids and free cholesterol. Because of the complexity of the matrix, chromatographic measurements with different types of detectors are the most common methods for cholesterol determination [
37,
38]. The main advantages of chromatographic methods are high selectivity, low LOD (depending on the detection used), and high accuracy. On the other hand, these techniques traditionally have disadvantages such as high cost and high personnel requirements [
39,
40].
Sensors that can only measure cations and anions with the classical electrochemistry system have enabled the determination of many substances with the inclusion of biomaterial in the system. Biosensors finds usage areas in applications such as bacteria and virus diagnosis, agriculture, veterinary, biomedical sector, toxic gas analysis in mining enterprises, food production and analysis, drug analysis, military applications, process control, environmental protection and pollution control, clinical diagnosis, bioreactor control, agriculture veterinary, and industrial waste. With the developing technology, biosensors, especially enzymatic biosensors, are used in hospitals and the food field. Biosensors can be used for complex parameters such as the detection of foreign substances in foods, freshness, and aroma control. In addition to this, biosensors can be used in the fight against drugs and preventing the misuse of drugs [
41]. Although biosensors have high specificity and speed, they require the development of an enzyme stabilization method. This is one of the main disadvantages of this type of system. The instability of the enzyme poses a problem in obtaining accurate and precise results [
42]. Proper orientation and high surface biocompatibility of the enzyme play an important role in facilitating electron transfer between the enzyme and the electrode surface. In these sensors, random orientation may lead to a decrease in the concentration of active enzymes on the electrode surface, which may result in a decrease in the sensitivity of the biosensor used [
43]. In this regard, it is clear that non-enzymatic sensors that provide direct cholesterol signals have some advantages compared to biosensors, such as more advanced methodological features, simple structure, low cost, and long shelf life.
This study aims to reveal the methods applied for the determination of cholesterol in food matrices and to reveal simple, fast, and sensitive methods by scanning different literature and using the data obtained in these studies.