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Published on: May 16, 2014
LC-MS/MS Analysis of Sugars, Alditols, and Humectants in Smokeless Tobacco Products
Liqun Wang1, Stephen Stanfill1, Liza Valentin-Blasini1
1Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Center for Environmental Health; Division of Laboratory Sciences; Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, 4770 Buford Highway NE; Atlanta 30341, GA, USA.
Abstract:
Globally, smokeless tobacco (ST) includes a wide array of chemically diverse products generally used in the oral cavity. Although ST has been widely investigated, this study was undertaken to determine the levels of sugars (mono- and di-saccharides), alditols, and humectants present in major ST categories/subcategories by using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS). The products studied included chewing tobacco (loose leaf, plug, twist), US moist snuff, Swedish snus, creamy snuff, dry snuff, dissolvable tobacco products, and tobacco-coated toothpicks. The highest mean sugar level was detected in chewing tobacco (9.3-27.5%, w/w), followed by dissolvable tobacco (2.1%); all other products were lower than 1%. Creamy snuff had the highest mean alditol levels (22.6%), followed by dissolvable tobacco (15.4%); all others had levels lower than 1%. The detected mean humectant levels ranged from non-detectable to 5.9%. This study demonstrates the broad chemical diversity among ST. This research may aid researchers and public health advocates investigating the exposures and risks of ST. [Beitr. Tabakforsch. Int. 28 (2019) 203-213].
