Our groups have previously developed a biochemical gas sensor to measure isopropanol (IPA) in exhaled air and have applied it for breath IPA investigation in healthy subjects and diabetes patients. In this study, the original bio-sniffer was modified with a series of components that improved the limit of detection (LOD). First, the modified IPA bio-sniffer used a C8855-type photomultiplier tube (PMT) that performed well in the photon sensitivity at the peak wavelength of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) fluorescence. Second, the multi-core bifurcated optical fiber, which incorporated 36 fibers to replace the previous dual-core type, enhanced the fluorescence collection. Third, the optical fiber probe was reinforced for greater width, and the flow-cell was redesigned to increase the area of the enzyme-immobilized membrane in contact with the air sample. These modifications lowered the detection limit to 0.5 ppb, a significant increase over the previous 1.0 ppb. Moreover, the modified bio-sniffer successfully analyzed the IPA concentration in exhaled air from a volunteer, which confirmed its capability for real-world sample detection. The modified bio-sniffer is more applicable to breath measurement and the detection of other extremely-low-concentration samples.
Keywords: NADH; biosensor; breath isopropanol; gas sensor; secondary alcohol dehydrogenase; volatile organic compounds.