The influence of tobacco moisture on the content of condensate, nicotine, and total phenols in the side stream smoke of a plain cigarette was studied.
More condensate is formed from burned tobacco during the puff intervals than during the puffs themselves. With increasing moisture content the concentrations of nicotine and phenols rise in the side stream condensate and decrease in the mainstream condensate.
This effect disappears by extrapolation to the moisture content zero.
The total quantity of regained nicotine decreases with increasing moisture content. The formation of phenols decreases with increasing moisture content by about 20 per cent.