Quantification of Levoglucosan in Biomass Burning Particulate Matter Using a Glucometer Test Strip
Abstract
Levoglucosan (LG) is highly abundant in biomass pyrolysate and is widely used as a tracer for biomass burning in environmental sciences. Current analytical standards rely on gas or liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/LC-MS). Because these methods are expensive, there is a critical need for low-cost alternatives. This work explores using commercial glucometer strips to detect and quantify LG by first converting it into d-glucose with heat and acid. The hydrolysis condition was optimized to be at 150 °C, with 0.1 M H2SO4, for 60 min, while the sample was buffered at pH 7.3 for optimal detection. Following the optimization of the hydrolysis protocol, the glucometer strip signal exhibited a linear response, which was statistically indistinguishable from the response to d-glucose. However, when applied to authentic biomass burning filter samples, the glucometer method yielded concentrations approximately twice as high as GC–MS measurements. This discrepancy is likely due to interfering compounds in the sample matrix that also release d-glucose upon hydrolysis. Overall, this study establishes the proof-of-concept for using off-the-shelf glucometer testing strips for LG detection, while highlighting the distinct challenges of applying this method to complex environmental samples.
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BibTeX
@misc{moraes2026quantification,
title = {{Quantification of Levoglucosan in Biomass Burning Particulate Matter Using a Glucometer Test Strip}},
author = {Amanda Hanashiro Moraes and Antonio Mirante and Dylan Long and Faisal Hossain and Michael Serpe and Ran Zhao},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009329/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009329/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantification of Levoglucosan in Biomass Burning Particulate Matter Using a Glucometer Test Strip
AU - Amanda Hanashiro Moraes
AU - Antonio Mirante
AU - Dylan Long
AU - Faisal Hossain
AU - Michael Serpe
AU - Ran Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009329/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009329/v1
AB - Levoglucosan (LG) is highly abundant in biomass pyrolysate and is widely used as a tracer for biomass burning in environmental sciences. Current analytical standards rely on gas or liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/LC-MS). Because these methods are expensive, there is a critical need for low-cost alternatives. This work explores using commercial glucometer strips to detect and quantify LG by first converting it into d-glucose with heat and acid. The hydrolysis condition was optimized to be at 150 °C, with 0.1 M H2SO4, for 60 min, while the sample was buffered at pH 7.3 for optimal detection. Following the optimization of the hydrolysis protocol, the glucometer strip signal exhibited a linear response, which was statistically indistinguishable from the response to d-glucose. However, when applied to authentic biomass burning filter samples, the glucometer method yielded concentrations approximately twice as high as GC–MS measurements. This discrepancy is likely due to interfering compounds in the sample matrix that also release d-glucose upon hydrolysis. Overall, this study establishes the proof-of-concept for using off-the-shelf glucometer testing strips for LG detection, while highlighting the distinct challenges of applying this method to complex environmental samples.
ER -