Mass Spectrometry‐Based Electronic Nose for Bioanalysis

Abstract

The process used to solve many analytical problems involves obtaining information on isolated compounds. Sample treatment is the costliest and most time‐consuming part of the process and a frequent source of errors. However, sometimes it is not necessary to obtain information on individual compounds and profile signals are enough to make decisions. Here, electronic noses (e‐noses) are considered within the possibilities of non‐separative methods and specifically, electronic nose based on mass spectrometry (MS) in the bioanalysis field are discussed. These instrumental configurations are very attractive since sample treatment is eliminated or reduced and no chromatographic steps are required. Chemometric techniques are needed to extract the information from the signals. Endogenous volatile compounds provide important information about the state of the health of an individual and they can be analyzed with a MS‐based electronic nose. Their use in disease detection is, basically, the adaptation of an ancient practice in medicine. In this work the main instrumental configurations based on this approach and some applications in the bioanalysis field considering noninvasive biological fluids are described.