Sugar Pyrolysis in Cigarettes

Define Change in Smoke Chemistry (vs. reference cigarette)

What is change?

• What is change?– Change is defined by current validated

analytical methods– Change as defined by risk– Change defined as new additions to smoke

chemicals– Change defined as more of the same?

Determining change by determining the

Fate of the additive

• Stable isotope methods or radiolabeled methods– Unchanged– Partially changed (combustion chemistry)– Totally changed

• Influence smoke chemistry– New combustion products– Increase or decrease existing products

Sugars in Cigarettes

• Found naturally in the tobacco leaf ( 0.8% to 25%)– Air cured tobaccos have lower levels ( burley

and Maryland)– Oriental Tobacco has levels from 5 to 25%.

• Sugars are added to Cigarettes– Casings ( help hold form and moisture)– Flavor and texture (mellow or smooth)

Sugars in Cigarettes Natural vs. Additive

• Naturally occurring in leaf mono, di and polysaccharides ( carbohydrates 40% of leaf lamina).

• Sugars are added to Cigarettes usually as a monosaccharide (sucrose or glucose).– Added directly to the tobacco during

manufacturing.– Spray application ( up to 3.5% by wt.)

Define Change in Smoke Chemistry with Sucrose as an additive

• Fate Studies do not always differentiate surface applied from naturally occurring sugars within the leaf.

• Total carbohydrates contribute to same products.

• Fate (pyrolysis, radiolabeled, and stable isotope)– Radiolabeled (Jenkins et al 1975; Green 1977)

• Reference no filtered cigarette• Carbon 14 sucrose and glucose

Pyrolysis of Sucrose

• Results Carbon 14

– 99.5% changed in mainstream • MS 8.4% gas; 4.2% TPM• SS 73% gas; 7.4% TPM (40% CO2 and 10%

CO)• Butt 4.7%• Ash 7.4% (0.3%)• Unchanged found on particulate 0.5%

– Distribution radioactivity- 12.6% in mainstream , 80.4%

Pyrolysis Products

• Most prevalent Products gas phase radiolabled studies– Furans and Carbonyls

• Other products– Acetonitrile– Acetone– Acetaldehyde

Pyrolysis ProductsCO2 and Formaldehyde

Change in Smoke Chemistry with Sugar as an additive

• Results (Thornton and Massey)

TPM (mg/cig)

Nicotine alkoloids

mg/cig

Total carbonyls mg/cig

reference 34 3.32 4.0

Ref. + 10.5% glucose

31 2.59 4.2

Change in Smoke Chemistry with Sugar as an additive

• Results continued

Volatile carbonyls (mg/cig)

2 furfural mg/cig

Total acids mg/cig

reference 1.9 53 2.35

Ref. + 10.5% glucose

2.0 67 2.49

Define Change in Smoke Chemistry with Menthol as an additive

• Evaluation of Sugar for Use as a Cigarette ingredient by PM (along with other ingredients)– Reference 1R4F– Smoke products analyzed by PM numbered 50

–FTC analytes–TPM, Nicotine, Water and CO

Change in Smoke Chemistry with sugar as an additive

• Conclusions– Adds to already existing smoke products.

(Overall changes difficult to detect)– No change in nicotine levels.– No data on overall constituents (PM report

has results but includes the groups of 330 test ingredients)

– No really clean study completed in regards to our interests.