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CORESTA Congress, Paris, 2006, PT 16

Reconstituted tobacco treatment to reduce TSNA content of tobacco products - Part II: Effect of the treatment on TSNA and Hoffmann analytes in mainstream smoke

LE BEC L.; RIGOULAY C.; RAVERDY-LAMBERT D.; LE BOURVELLEC G.
LTR Industries (SWM Intl.), Le Mans, France

In part I, we have presented a treatment that reduces TSNA levels in tobacco during reconstitution and its effects on tobacco chemistry. The objective of this paper is to present the smoking results of the reconstituted tobacco treated to reduce the TSNA content. TSNA and other smoke constituents from the Hoffmann list will be compared between a standard reconstituted tobacco and the same reconstituted tobacco after TSNA reduction treatment Transfer rates of NNN, NAT, NAB and NNK will be discussed. A focus on the particular case of the NNK will be done. Several assays were completed in the laboratory to better understand the NNK formation mechanism in mainstream smoke. We will expose potential origin and precursors of the NNK in mainstream smoke. The pyrosynthesis of NNK from nitrates during smoking and the presence of insoluble form of NNK or its precursor will be discussed in particular. Data collected suggest the presence of insoluble NNK or one of its precursors in tobacco. That insoluble form of NNK or its precursors is most probably not taken into account by extraction protocols and analytical procedures currently used for TSNA analysis.