The established CORESTA method to determine nicotine in tobacco uses a gas chromatograph coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID) (CRM 62) that uses mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (CRM 87). These methods were developed to evaluate conventional tobacco. Currently, there are no standardized methods available to quantitate the nicotine level in both conventional and in ultra-low nicotine tobacco. Other selective instruments such as a gas chromatograph coupled with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector (GC/NPD), high performance liquid chromatography coupled with an ultraviolet detector (HPLC/UV) and a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been reported for conventional tobacco but have not been widely reported for the evaluation of ultra-low nicotine tobacco.

In the study we will compare the nicotine results between a GC/FID and GC/NPD system using an ultra-low nicotine tobacco blend (NIST SRM 3222), CRP1.1, conventional mid-level tobacco leaf, and a conventional tobacco blend (1R6F).

We will present instrument precision, method precision, accuracy and LOD & LOQ of both methods. We will also present the advantages and disadvantages of the two detectors.