The Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) has developed a diagnostic complex with a system for determining acetone and methane in exhaled air. Air analysis makes it possible to determine the presence of such a common and dangerous disease in farm animals as ketosis. A patent has been obtained for the invention.
Ketosis refers to metabolic diseases and is associated with metabolic disorders, in particular proteins and carbohydrates, in the animal's body. The incidence is influenced by factors such as high milk productivity, poor-quality feed, and an unbalanced diet. Ketosis poses a serious risk to animal health: excess ketone bodies lead to such consequences as reduced milk yield, problems with reproduction, and in severe cases can be fatal. To avoid possible complications, it is important to identify the disease in a timely manner.
“One symptom that may indicate the presence of the disease is the smell of acetone in the exhaled air. Colleagues from the Siberian Federal Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnology OF the Russian Academy of Sciences asked us to make a device that will determine whether acetone and methane are contained in the air exhaled by a cow, which will make it possible to diagnose dangerous diseases in cattle in a timely manner. The presence of acetone indicates the development of ketosis, "said Alexander Bannov, Doctor of Chemistry, Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, NSTU-NETI.
The diagnostic device with a system for determining acetone and methane in the analyzed sample is a self-propelled vehicle containing a housing mounted on the chassis, a power plant including the drive part, an on-board route building system. The complex is equipped with systems for reading the analyzed sample (equipped with an RFID tag), taking a gas sample, video surveillance, as well as determining the concentration of acetone and methane in the analyzed gas sample using a chemoresistive gas sensor. The sensor is reusable and does not need to be replaced for a long time. After collecting samples, the concentration of acetone and methane in the analyzed sample is quantified, which makes it possible to determine the stage of the disease development. The received information is read and written to the system server, data exchange is carried out via wireless communication.
The diagnostic complex refers to express methods and allows for quick and regular monitoring of the health status of cattle.
In 2025, a patent was obtained for the invention. In addition to animal husbandry, the diagnostic complex can be used (with minor modernization) in such areas as industrial safety, chemical technology, petrochemicals and oil refining, and environmental protection.