Table 1.
Characteristics of Volatile Organic Compound Detection Technologies.
| Technology | eNoses | IMS | GC-MS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP | MOS | |||
| Portability | Good | Good | Good | Poor |
| Cost | Low | Low | Low | High |
| Trained personnel | No | No | No | Yes |
| Sample throughput | High | High | Medium | Low |
| Speed | Real-time | Real-time | Real-time | Off-line |
| Metabolite detection | No | No | No 1 | Yes |
| Pattern recognition | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chemical insight | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sensor drift | Yes | Yes | Minor | Minor |
1 Some IMS constructs allow for metabolite detection. Abbreviations: Electronic noses—eNoses; Ion mobility spectrometry—IMS; Gas chromatography—ion mobility spectrometry—GC-IMS; Conducting polymer—CP; Metal oxide sensors—MOS.