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TSRC, Tob. Sci. Res. Conf., 2021, 74, abstr. 25

Accelerated aging study of reference smokeless tobacco products

GUAN S.; JI H.; BUSH L.P.
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

With the development of tobacco product regulation, knowledge of stability and storage conditions for tobacco products becomes increasingly important. An accelerated aging study is a useful method for stability assessments. It can also reflect additional effects, such as the handling and transportation of smokeless tobacco products (STPs). In this study, 5 different storage conditions, including -22 °C (77% RH), 22 °C (60% RH), 37 °C (70% RH), 42 °C (72% RH), and 60 °C (75% RH), were set up for an accelerated aging study of four certified reference STPs, including loose-leaf chewing tobacco (3S1), snus (1S5), Swedish-style snus (1S4), and moist snuff (3S3). These four reference STPs were manufactured by the Center for Tobacco Reference Products (CTRP) of the University of Kentucky in 2016, under a Cooperative Agreement with the FDA. In this study, six time-points for sample collection were set up, including 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days. The analytes tested included pH, nicotine, free nicotine, nornicotine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), N’-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN), and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). Based on our data, pH and nicotine concentration changed most when storage temperature increased. The pH dropped as soon as 3 days at high temperatures and decreased more with time, resulting in significant decreased in free nicotine concentration. Stored for 35 days under the condition of 60 °C (75% RH), total nicotine contents of 1S5, 3S1, 3S3, and 1S4 decreased by 26.1%, 17.3%, 13.5%, and 4.9%, respectively, compared to those stored under -20 °C. This indicated these STPs would lose large amounts of total nicotine if stored or transported at a relatively high temperature.