Breath Acetone Sensor for Subclinical Ketosis Detection in Dairy Cows
4 affiliations
- 1Human-centered Sensing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering
- 2ETH Zurich
- 3Ruminant Nutrition and Emissions
- 4Agroscope
Abstract
Subclinical ketosis (SCK) in dairy cows is a prevalent metabolic disorder that can reduce milk production, impair animal health, and causes substantial economic losses. Current diagnostic approaches are invasive and poorly suited for routine and autonomous on-farm detection. Here, we demonstrate non-invasive breath acetone sensing for monitoring metabolic changes associated with SCK in dairy cows. Breath samples (n = 235) were longitudinally collected over 35 days from seven dairy cows (five SCK-induced and two controls) using a custom-designed sampling mask. A chemoresistive sensor based on WO3 nanoparticles exhibited high selectivity toward acetone over interferents (e.g., ethanol, acetic acid, methane and isoprene) at their typical concentrations in cow breath and barn air. Good agreement (R2 = 0.81) with proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry was obtained for acetone quantification over a concentration range of 54 – 4,500 ppb. Time-resolved measurements revealed that the sensor captured dynamic post-partum acetone changes, including rapid increases, late-onset elevations, and stable low-level profiles. These trends were consistent with blood β-hydroxybutyrate and milk acetone measurements, supporting the physiological relevance of breath acetone as a non-invasive biomarker of SCK. These results demonstrate the potential of chemoresistive breath acetone sensing as a practical approach for longitudinal, on-farm monitoring of dairy cows for SCK detection.
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BibTeX
@misc{ko2026breath,
title = {{Breath Acetone Sensor for Subclinical Ketosis Detection in Dairy Cows}},
author = {Jaehyun Ko and Jonas Hendricks and Anna-Maria Reiche and Frigga Dohme-Meier and Andreas T. Güntner},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008839/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008839/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Breath Acetone Sensor for Subclinical Ketosis Detection in Dairy Cows
AU - Jaehyun Ko
AU - Jonas Hendricks
AU - Anna-Maria Reiche
AU - Frigga Dohme-Meier
AU - Andreas T. Güntner
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/15
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008839/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008839/v1
AB - Subclinical ketosis (SCK) in dairy cows is a prevalent metabolic disorder that can reduce milk production, impair animal health, and causes substantial economic losses. Current diagnostic approaches are invasive and poorly suited for routine and autonomous on-farm detection. Here, we demonstrate non-invasive breath acetone sensing for monitoring metabolic changes associated with SCK in dairy cows. Breath samples (n = 235) were longitudinally collected over 35 days from seven dairy cows (five SCK-induced and two controls) using a custom-designed sampling mask. A chemoresistive sensor based on WO3 nanoparticles exhibited high selectivity toward acetone over interferents (e.g., ethanol, acetic acid, methane and isoprene) at their typical concentrations in cow breath and barn air. Good agreement (R2 = 0.81) with proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry was obtained for acetone quantification over a concentration range of 54 – 4,500 ppb. Time-resolved measurements revealed that the sensor captured dynamic post-partum acetone changes, including rapid increases, late-onset elevations, and stable low-level profiles. These trends were consistent with blood β-hydroxybutyrate and milk acetone measurements, supporting the physiological relevance of breath acetone as a non-invasive biomarker of SCK. These results demonstrate the potential of chemoresistive breath acetone sensing as a practical approach for longitudinal, on-farm monitoring of dairy cows for SCK detection.
ER -