Differentiation of Smokers from Non-Smokers through FTIR Spectroscopy

Human saliva was used to measure the level of thiocyanate; it is an attractive alternative over conventional biological body fluids such as blood, urine, hair, etc. The current study used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to compare salivary thiocyanate levels between smokers and non-smokers. The analysis showed a distinct infrared (IR) spectrum of thiocyanate in the 2150-1950 cm-1 range for smokers, while non-smokers did not exhibit any spectral features in this region. Therefore, this particular analytical instrument could be a useful one that simply distinguishes smokers from non-smokers. However, more study is required to reach into valid conclusion because the formation of thiocyanate (SCN-) by bacteria in the colon and also present in food items could interfere with the overall concentration of thiocyanate.