S. Giannoukos, D. Raptopoulos, M. Konstantopoulou

Monitoring Insect Pheromones in Real Time

This study explores the use of SESI-HRMS and portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry for the rapid detection and monitoring of insect sex pheromones. By measuring pheromone levels in the gas phase, these technologies can support more precise pest management strategies, helping verify pheromone coverage, identify gaps, and optimize reapplication in mating disruption programs. The work demonstrates sensitive detection from low ppt to low ppb levels, fast response times, and successful identification of key pheromone components in real Plutella xylostella headspace samples, highlighting a promising path toward real-time and field-deployable pheromone monitoring.

Helen J. Martin,a James C. Reynolds,a Svetlana Riazanskaiab and C. L. Paul Thomas*a

The non-invasive nature of volatile organic compound (VOC) sampling from skin makes this a priority in the development of new screening and diagnostic assays. Evaluation of recent literature highlights the tension between the analytical utility of ambient ionisation approaches for skin profiling and the practicality of undertaking larger campaigns (higher statistical power), or undertaking research in remote locations. This study describes how VOC may be sampled from skin and recovered from a polydimethylsilicone sampling coupon and analysed by thermal desorption (TD) interfaced to secondary electrospray ionisation (SESI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) for the high throughput screening of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from human skin…