Analysis of glucose-dependent dielectric properties of aqueous-based solution: A proof of concept

Abstract

In spite of widespread research and exploration, the status of non-invasive blood glucometer for diabetic people is far from satisfactory. This unlocks the prospect for further significant research in the field of non-invasive blood glucose sensing. An approach towards the research on the development of non-invasive blood glucometer relies on the establishment of correlation, if any, exists between the dielectric properties of blood and the blood glucose level. In this context, the in-vitro study is undertaken as a proof of concept using a standard liquid-dielectric-test-fixture. The research is conducted to analyse the variation in dielectric properties of aqueous-based solution with respect to glucose concentration by utilising test fixture. The employed measurement set-up and the procedure used for the estimation of dielectric properties (complex-relative-permittivity and dissipation factor) of the solution under test are presented. The measurement set-up is validated by determining the dielectric properties of the reference liquid. The evaluation of uncertainty-in-measurement in the complex-relative-permittivity and dissipation factor is also provided in detail. However, the variation in dielectric properties is found to be small under tested conditions, and the in-vitro study conducted out in the perspective of proof of concept has provided an insight that the change in glucose concentration results in quantifiable variation in dielectric properties.