Electrical Properties of Sucrose Solutions for Diabetic Applications

Abstract

Knowledge of the dielectric properties of body fluids such as blood, urine, and sweat can provide information on their water and glucose contents. This information is particularly important for monitoring glucose level in individuals who suffer from diabetes. We measured the dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor, and alternating current (ac) conductivity for various concentrations of sucrose solutions ranging from 0.1 to 1M. We also measured urine samples from diabetics. We used an Agilent E5071C Network Analyzer coupled to a Dielectric probe for measurements between 100 and 3000 MHz frequency range at an average room temperature of 22.5 ± 0.5 o C. Results show a gradual decrease in dielectric constant with molarity over the frequency range covered. The dielectric loss factor and the ac conductivity both showed steady increases with molarity. Results for pre-meal and post-meal urine samples from diabetic individuals showed increases in dielectric loss and ac conductivity in post-meal samples. These increases were attributed to higher glucose level in post-meal urine. This work suggests that dielectric data could be useful in monitoring glucose level in diabetics.