Tricorder Tech: Method for Accurate Detection of Amino Acids and Mycotoxins in Planetary Atmospheres

We present a systematic analysis of a large number of mass spectra accumulated as the number of ion fragments recorded in unit mass-to-charge detector channels.

The method retrieves the abundances of detected species using an efficient deconvolution algorithm, which relies on fragment pattern recognition, mass calibration, and background correction. The abundance analysis identifies target species, amino acids, and mycotoxins through their characteristic fragmentation patterns in the presence of an increasing number of interfering species.

The method offered robust and efficient retrieval of abundances of metabolic molecules in complex mixtures obscured by a wide range of toxic compounds.

Method for Accurate Detection of Amino Acids and Mycotoxins in Planetary Atmospheres, Life (open access)

Astrobiology, Astrochemistry, tricorder,