Breath analysis by optical fiber sensor for the determination of exhaled organic compounds with a view to diagnostics

The analytical system developed showed a high performance for breath analysis, inferred for the analytical signal intensity and stability, linear range, and detection limits ranging from 0.8 pmol L−1, for heptane, and to 9.5 pmol L−1, for decane. The OF sensor also showed advantageous features of near real-time response and low instrumentation costs, besides showing an analytical performance equivalent to the breath analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), used as the reference method.