Ethanol Vapor Imaging System "sniffer Camera" for Evaluation of Alcohol Metabolism from Breath and Palm Skin Gas

Breath and body odors are composed of various volatile organic compounds in human transpiration. The gaseous components are related to disease and human metabolic function. Therefore, a novel two-dimensional fluorometric imaging system, known as a "sniffer camera" for gaseous ethanol emissions from human breath and palm skin was constructed and tested. The imaging system measures ethanol vapor concentrations as intensities of fluorescence through an enzymatic reaction induced by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). The imaging system consisted of a enzyme immobilized cotton mesh, a multi UV-LED excitation sheet and a high-sensitive CCD camera. This imaging system utilized ADH for recognition of ethanol vapor. It measured ethanol vapor by analysing fluorescent intensity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which is produced by an enzymatic reaction on a cotton mesh. This NADH fluorometric imaging system achieved the two-dimensional real-time imaging of ethanol vapor distribution from 0.5 to 200 ppm. The system showed a rapidly and accurately responses and a visible measurement, which could lead an analysis to metabolism function.