Quantitative Estimation of Menthol, Glycerol and 1,2-Propylene Glycol in Tobacco Products Available in India

Different chemicals are added to smoke and smokeless tobacco products to make the products more attractive and palatable. In this article, 43 smoke and 84 smokeless tobacco products were investigated to detect and quantify menthol, glycerol, and 1,2-propylene glycol. The data obtained were compared across the tobacco products to understand variation of these chemicals in different categories of tobacco products. The smokeless tobacco products zarda, chewing tobacco, khaini and snus contain menthol as an additive. Some smokeless tobacco such as chewing tobacco, zarda, snus and kiwam contain glycerol and / or 1,2-propylene glycol as additives. One smokeless tobacco products contain 45% glycerol which is exceptionally high compared to reported glycerol level in other studies. Among the tested 28 number of cigarette samples 39% of cigarette samples contain menthol as an additive. Most cigarettes contain both glycerol or 1,2-propylene glycol or one of them as humectants whereas bidi do not contain menthol and 1,2–propylene glycol. The determination of these additives present in the tobacco products may be helpful in further understanding the health hazards associated with these products for tobacco users. The findings in this work may provide valuable information / data to regulate the additive content in tobacco products for effective tobacco control in India.