- Journal Details
- Format
- Journal
- eISSN
- 2719-9509
- First Published
- 01 Jan 1992
- Publication timeframe
- 4 times per year
- Languages
- English
Search
- Open Access
Comparison of the Yield of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes to the Top 100 United States Brand Styles
Page range: 253 - 266
Abstract
The objective of this work was to compare the nicotine content and yield of new very low nicotine content cigarettes (VLN™) to the top 100 cigarette brand styles in the United States. Nicotine in tobacco filler and nicotine in smoke were measured. On a dry weight basis, VLN™ cigarettes averaged 0.5 mg of nicotine/g tobacco as compared to 19.4 for the top 100 brand styles in the United States. On a cigarette basis, VLN™ cigarettes contained 0.27 mg of nicotine compared to 12 mg for the top brands. On an ISO smoke yield basis, VLN™ produced 0.03 mg nicotine/cig compared to 0.903 mg nicotine/cig for the leading brands. VLN™ cigarettes contained > 95% less nicotine on a per gram basis of tobacco or per cigarette basis than the top 100 brand styles in the U.S. VLN™ cigarettes yielded > 95% less nicotine in smoke than the top brand styles in the United States.
Keywords
- Tobacco
- cigarettes
- nicotine
- SPECTRUM®
- VLN
- VLNC
- very low nicotine
- Open Access
Optimal Synthesis of Substituted and Branched Pyrazines via Reaction of Alpha Hydroxy Ketones with Selected Nitrogen Sources
Page range: 267 - 277
Abstract
Employment of 1-hydroxy-acetone as a carbon source and NH4OH as a source of base and nitrogen, has enabled arrays of pyrazines to be synthesized. Reaction conditions such as temperature, time, carbon/nitrogen mole ratios and pH were optimized to maximize the quantity of pyrazines, thereby providing the synthesis of at least 19–20 structurally different pyrazines. Addition of amino acids, selected aldehydes, and hydrolyzed tobacco-derived F1 protein has positively impacted the array of pyrazines from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Results further showed that by changing the carbon source from 1-hydroxy-acetone to 1-hydroxy-2-butanone and/or 2-hydroxy-3-butanone, control of the type of pyrazines being synthesized could be realized in that the qualitative and quantitative distributions of the pyrazine array were shifted to higher molecular weight derivatives. A relatively large scale reaction (1.5 L) employing optimized parameters yielded > 2 g of a diverse array of pyrazines dominated by multiple dimethylpyrazine derivatives. While systematically varying reaction conditions and reagent mole ratios can predictably alter the distribution and yield of pyrazines, the two most overwhelmingly significant factors governing these two pyrazine product characteristics included the structure of the carbon source and the presence or absence of aldehydes and free amino acids.
- Open Access
Measurement Method of the Width of the Strands of Cut Tobacco Based on Digital Image Processing
Page range: 278 - 285
Abstract
The width of cut tobacco strands is an important indicator for physical parameters as well as for the smoking quality. In some countries, cut width helps to distinguish fine-cut tobacco and pipe tobacco and thus differentiates taxation rate. A new method for rapid measurement of the width of cut tobacco strands was developed based on digital image processing, because the method described in ISO 20193, though easy to implement in factories, proved time consuming and generated high testing costs. The essence of this method is to determine the statistic width of incisions. The straight-line segments represent the width of strands of cut tobacco, from which the determination of the width for randomly placed tobacco strands could be achieved. Five kinds of samples (‘ISO collaborative study samples 0.4 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.6 mm and 3.0 mm’ and ‘Guangdong baked 0.9 mm’) were used to study the comparability of the measurement results between the method presented in this work and the current ISO method. Results show that accuracy and repeatability are comparable. In addition, the testing efficiency of the method presented in this work appears to be higher than the current ISO method, and it is thus a promising alternative method for measuring the width of strands of cut tobacco.
- Open Access
Effects of Varying Tobacco Rod Circumference on Cigarette Combustion: An Experimental Investigation
Page range: 286 - 296
Abstract
To study the effects of tobacco rod circumference on cigarette combustion status, cigarettes were made with three different circumferences of 24 mm, 20 mm, 17 mm and otherwise identical construction. Their combustion characteristics, including combustion coal volume, characteristic temperature distribution, heating rate, instantaneous burn rate, and yields of selected mainstream smoke chemicals, were systematically measured. The results indicated that the cigarettes with the lowest circumference of 17 mm showed higher combustion temperatures with a smaller coal volume. The maximum instantaneous burn rate was distinctly different for the three cigarettes, from 1.84 mm/s to 2.48 mm/s, when their circumference was reduced from 24 mm to 17 mm. The tobacco mass consumption per puff showed a negative trend when the circumference decreased. The majority of the chemical compounds (16 of 21) measured in mainstream smoke decreased when the circumference was reduced, except for formaldehyde, while the yields of the chemical compounds produced per weight of cut tobacco, consumed during puffing, showed an obverse trend.
Keywords
- Cigarette
- combustion
- circumference