This publication reports the first known use of gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the quantitation of five minor tobacco alkaloids (nornicotine, myosmine, anabasine, anatabine, and Isonicoteine) in various tobacco samples.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
A summary of the concentrations of these minor alkaloid levels in the filler from 50 popular cigarette brands were found to be 659-986 μg/g nornicotine, 8.64-17.3 μg/g myosmine, 127-185 μg/g anabasine, 927-1390 μg/g anatabine, and 23.4-45.5 μg/g Isonicoteine. Levels of minor alkaloids found in reference cigarettes (1R5F, 2R4F, 3R4F, CM4, and CM6) as well as burley, flue-cured, oriental, reconstituted, and Nicotiana rustica and Nicotiana glauca tobacco types are also reported.
CONCLUSIONS:
Quantitation of the minor tobacco alkaloids is important because the alkaloids have been shown to be precursors of carcinogenic tobacco specific N'-nitrosamines. |