Tailor-made 3D-nanoelectrode ensembles modified with molecularly imprinted poly(o-phenylenediamine) for the sensitive detection of L-arabitol

•A sensitive arabitol sensor is obtained by combining molecularly imprinted polymers and 3D-arrays of gold nanowires.•The use of 3D-ensembles of gold nanowires amplifies the sensor surface and the number of imprinted cavities.•The sensor displays high affinity and selectivity for the target molecule.•The sensor presents a detection limit of 7.5 × 10−10 mol L-1, good stability, reproducibility, high sensitivity and accuracy.