Smoke transfer of aroma components in slim cigarettes flavored by different methods

To study the influences of four flavoring methods (cut tobacco, breakable capsule, tow, and cotton thread flavoring) on the transfer of aroma components in slim cigarette smoke, a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method for simultaneously and quantitatively determining the alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and esters in cut tobacco, particulate matter of mainstream smoke, and filter were developed. The results showed that:1) After storing airtightly for 30 days, the distribution of aroma components in cut tobacco and filter differed significantly among the cigarettes flavored by the four methods. The transfer rates of aroma components were the highest in tobacco-flavored samples. 2) The transfer rates of aroma components to particulate matter of mainstream smoke in tow-flavored samples were similar to those in thread-flavored samples. The transfer rates of aroma components with higher boiling points were the highest in tobacco-flavored samples and the lowest in capsule-flavored samples. 3) With the increase of boiling points of congeneric aroma components, the transfer rates of aldehydes, ketones and esters aroma components to particulate matter of mainstream smoke in tobacco-flavored, tow-flavored and thread-flavored samples increased, while those in capsule-flavored samples increased first and then decreased. The alcoholic aroma components slightly differed from the other aroma components in the relationships between the transfer rate to particulate matter of mainstream smoke and boiling point. 4) The filter retention rates of the four kind aroma components in tow-flavored samples were slightly higher than those in thread-flavored samples. Capsule flavoring resulted in the highest filter retention rates of aroma components with higher boiling points, while tobacco flavoring was the opposite.