GC–MS Investigation of the Transfer Behavior of Alkalescent Flavors in Moderate/Low-Tar Cigarettes

Experiments employing a technique involving solvent extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis were conducted to investigate the distributions and transfer behavior of alkalescent flavors in moderate/low-tar cigarettes. In the current study, the transfer behavior of eleven flavors, including two alkalescent ketones, eight heterocyclic compounds, and perillartine, were evaluated by examining their retention ratios in tobacco (%r 1), their ratios of immigration into the filter tip (%r 2), their transfer ratios into the mainstream smoke (%r 3), and their ratios of interception by the filter tip (%r 4), which varied from 3.94 to 44.10, from 0 to 35.36, from 0 to 17.14, and from 7.36 to 50.53 %, respectively. The analytical results indicated that flavor transfer behavior is likely dependent on the molecular weight and boiling point of the flavor, the configuration of the cigarette, and/or other factors (e.g., intermolecular tension, chemical polarity, etc.), although no further studies of these aspects were performed as part of this work. These findings may lead to improvements in the flavoring procedure during the future development of novel cigarettes.