Non-invasive glucose measurement based on selective near infrared absorption: Requirements on instrumentation and spectral range

A tight control of the level of blood glucose is known to reduce the long-term complications of diabetic patients. A non-invasive measurement method suitable for home use would allow a more accurate and frequent control of glucose level, along with reducing the long-term health care costs of diabetic patients and improving their quality of life. In clinical use, the non-invasive method would be suitable for several applications, such as rapid monitoring of glucose levels in emergency rooms [G. Cote, J. Clin. Engrg. 22 (4) (1997) 253–259]. In this work, the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a non-invasive method has been evaluated on the basis of theoretical considerations and measurements on water–glucose solutions and a test person. The partial least squares (PLS) algorithm was used in calibration. The standard deviation of the error of prediction was 0.97 and 1.14 mmol/l for measurements from water–glucose solutions and the test person respectively.