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(Lahore),24(2),139-141,2012
139
Chemistry Programme, School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia. 11800 Penang, Malaysia
b
Abstract: This study determined the nicotine content of tobacco in cigarettes, clove cigarettes, cigars, and shag
tobacco of 14 popular brands in Malaysia. The method used was a descriptive and qualitative analysis method using
an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The results for nicotine content are highest in shag tobacco, followed by
the contents of cigarettes and clove cigarettes. The differences are likely due to the quality of the tobacco leaves
used, the manufacturing process, and the packaging of the tobacco as cigarettes or shag tobacco.
Keywords: UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, tobacco, nicotine
INTRODUCTION
The highly toxic chemical in tobacco alkaloids is nicotine,
3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl) pyridine present in the leaves of
Nicotiana tabacum [1]. Nicotine is only one of the several
thousands of compounds identified in tobacco, many of
which contribute to the flavor, aroma, and physiological
effects.
The determination of nicotine is an important analysis for
the tobacco industry, as the quality and usability of the
product can be determined by its nicotine content [2].
Nicotine content in cigarettes has been reported in several
studies [2-4] based on the dose reduction resulting from
cigarette smoke as the main control in estimating the
concentration of nicotine produced by smoking, controlling
the acidity of the product and other physical observations,
such as the size of the cigarettes and cut of the tobacco in it.
Nicotine can be found in tobacco particulate matter and in
tobacco smoke [5]. Nicotine in tobacco smoke is converted
to its volatile and available free-base from through the
action of gaseous ammonia [6].
Cigarettes and clove cigarettes are very popular in Malaysia.
Clove cigarettes are generally smoked by the Indonesian
population; cigarettes are popular among the local people;
and some people prefer their tobacco rolled in paper or palm
leaves for their enjoyment. Clove cigarettes in Malaysia are
imported from Indonesia. They are prepared by manually
mixing tobacco and clove together, and hand rolling them to
become cigarettes.
Various methods have been employed to determine the
nicotine content in tobacco, including solvent extraction
followed by gas-chromatographic-mass spectrometric
analysis [7] or liquid chromatography with ultravioletvisible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer [8].
The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the
nicotine content of 14 popular cigarette and shag tobacco
brands available in the Malaysian market. All samples were
obtained from local stores and were screened using the UVVis spectrophotometer method.
1.
10.0
9.00
10.00
10.00
0.50
0.45
0.50
0.50
6.59 0.18
6.80 0.01
6.19 0.19
6.12 0.29
9.30a
23.00
6.80
0.93
1.15
0.34
5.22 0.01
9.08 0.16
6.23 0.08
35.00b
3.00
10.89 0.41
7.90
0.40
11.42 0.28
36.00b
3.00
18.06 0.39
20.80
1.10
7.03 0.01
3.90c
3.90
4.67 0.08
3.00d
3.00
2.00d
2.00
140
Nicotine
(mg/g)
Dunhill (D)
3.53
0.35
0.64
Camel (C)
2.76
0.28
0.45
Kent (K)
1.74
0.17
0.30
Salem (S)
0.54
0.054
0.15
A Volution (AV)
2.14
0.21
0.41
Villiger (V)
3.22
0.32
0.42
Manchester (M)
1.44
0.14
0.35
Clove cigarette
Gudang
Garam
International (GGI)
1.90
Gudang Garam Surya
(GGS)
2.13
0.19
0.36
0.21
0.23
3.08
0.29
0.17
0.41
0.041
0.10
Cigar
Cerut Handlesgold Vanilla
(CH)
0.83
0.083
0.17
0.91
0.92
Brands
Cigarette
Shag Tobacco
Sci.Int.(Lahore),24(2),2012
4.48
* Nicotine (mg/pack)
Results of UV-Vis spectrophotometer analysis, as presented
in Table 2, show the nicotine concentration in a 1 L solution
plotted according to the cigarette and tobacco brands and
compared with the nicotine concentration shown in Figure 2.
A relatively proportional relationship between nicotine
concentration and the cigarette and tobacco brands is
observed.
Arbitrarily, the relationship can be grouped into three in
increasing order of nicotine content: < 0.30 mg/g for samples
SC, S, DSS, CH, GGS, and K (weight per stick range of
0.582.38 g); 0.300.60 mg/g for samples M, GGI, AV, V,
and C (weight per stick range 0.551.08 g); and 0.600.95
mg/g for samples D, SYH, and JL (weight per stick or pack
range 0.694.85 g). The results show lower nicotine content
in cigarettes of about 0.72 mg compared with that in
another study [5]. Nicotine content in cigars weighing 0.77
22 g ranged from 10.1444 mg [4]. In Table 1, the price of
cigarettes and tobacco is generally not related to nicotine
content, whereas the additional clove in clove cigarettes is a
factor for the high price of cigarettes.
Table 1 shows that the average weight per stick varies among
cigarettes, clove cigarettes, and cigars, whereas the weight of
the packs of shag tobacco remains the same. However, the
Sci.Int.(Lahore),24(2),139-141,2012
results indicate that this weight factor does not influence the
nicotine content of cigarettes and tobacco. The higher
content of nicotine in tobacco is probably caused by the
tobacco leaves not having been treated to reduce the
nicotine content prior to the packaging process. The low
demand and low selling price of shag tobacco compared
with those of cigarettes are possible results of this action.
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
SC
DSS
CH
GGS
GGI
AV
SYH
JL
4.
141