Sampling body odor for healthcare monitoring: Control influential factors (Elsa Boudard, MDCW 2023)

• 🎤 Presenter: Elsa Boudard¹´², José Dugay¹, Isabelle Rivals³, Jérôme Vial¹, Didier Thiébaut¹ (¹UMR CBI, Laboratoire des Sciences Analytiques, Bioanalytiques et Miniaturisation, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France. ²SenseDetect Health-Care, Aigremont, France. ³Équipe de Statistique Appliquée, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, UMRS1158, Paris, France)

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Abstract

The human body constantly emits a lot of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are affected by numerous factors such as pathologies. This is why odor analysis can be a smart, non-invasive, and large-scaled way to perform health monitoring. Dogs have a very acute sense of smell, and are thus commonly used to perform olfactive detections. But since dogs are also likely to be disturbed by environmental conditions, it is important to confirm their detections through a more objective technic. Thermodesorption followed by comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GCxGC/ToFMS), with its high sensitivity and resolution, is indeed a good candidate for the analysis of a complex matrix such as body odor.

The first challenge lies in body odor sampling: the optimization of a sampling system, including an adsorbent, a holder and a fastening system, was required and had to consider the specific, unwanted emissions of these components. The type of sampling, through passive contact or without any contact with the skin, had also to be taken into account. Though most of the optimization was done on the armpits, we also cared to study body odor homogeneity by sampling other locations such as the inguinal area. As this type of sampling requires rigor, the impacts of other parameters such as hairiness have also been studied in order to optimize the whole process.