Chemometrics-assisted electrochemical biosensing of cholesterol as the sole precursor of steroids by a novel electrochemical biosensor

•An enzymatic biosensor was constructed for determination of cholesterol.•Cholesterol was preconcentrated by molecularly imprinted polymers.•The biosensor response was calibrated by univariate and multi-way calibration methods.•Biosensor assisted by three-way calibration showed the best performance.•Performance of the biosensor towards determination of cholesterol in serum samples was admirable.