AHF NCI Collection
Banbury Report A Safe Cigarette? the Less Harmful Cigarette and Tobacco Smoke Flavors
Fields
- Type
- Bibliography
- Chart/Graph
- Photograph
- Psci, Scientific Publication
- Chart/Graph
- Named Organization
- AHF, American Health Foundation
- American Cancer Society
- Cold Spring Harbor Lab
- Federal Republic of Germany
- HRI, Health Research Inst,Roswell Park
- Naylor Dana Inst for Disease Preven
- NCI, Natl Cancer Inst
- Royal College of Physicians
- US Public Health Service
- American Cancer Society
- Characteristic
- Missing Pages
- Author
- Bock, F.G.
- Gori, G.B.
- Hecht, S.S.
- Hoffmann, D.
- Lavoie, E.J.
- Wynder, E.L.
- Gori, G.B.
- Copied
- Osdene, T.S.
- Named Person
- Bjeldanes
- Bock, F.G.
- Carmella, S.
- Chew
- Darkis
- Enzell
- Gori, G.B.
- Govil, A.
- Hamilton
- Hecht
- Hoffmann, D.
- Leffingwell
- Osdene, T.S.
- Surgeon General
- Sutton
- Wald
- Weber, J.D.
Defense- Wynder, E.L.
- Bock, F.G.
Document Images
c
The Less Harmful Cigarette and
Tobacco Smoke Flavors .
EDMOND J. LAVOIE, STEPHEN S. HECHT, DIETRICH HOFFMANN, and
ERNST L WYNDER
Division of Environmental Carcinogenesis
Naylor Dana Institute for Disease Prevention
American Health Foundation
Valhalla, New York 1,0595
Reports on the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on human health in the
. early 1950s and the subsequent reports by the Royal College of Physicians in
by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1964
1962 and
~M1
,
. .
=F:r ° led to increased efforts by private and public agencies to discourage cigarette
smoking. As a result, over 30 million people in the U.S. have discontinued
tively the disease risks associated with cigarette smoking.
THE LESS HARMFUL CIGARETTE: 197'8-79 '
' Epidemiological studies have documented a dose-response relationship of the
: t: .. number of cigarettes smoked and the development of cancer of the lung, oral
~.~ cavity, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, and kidney. Eioassays have also
VW'4=: demonstrated dose-response relationships for tar applied to. the skin of mice and
the incidence of skin tumors, as well as for tumor development in the larynx of
. their smoking habits. However, 54 million men, women, and teenagers in the
U.S. were still smoking cigarettes in 1978 (American Cancer Society 1978),
compared to an estimated 64 million in 1963. It is unlikely that large numbers
of these smokers will stop :smoking soon. Therefore, efforts towards further
refinement of the less harmful cigarette should be continued to reduce effec-
Syrian golden hamsters, upon daily exposure to cigarette smoke over a period
of 18 months. ,
Thus, the first approach towards the less harmful cigarette was the reduc-
tion of the tar content of cigarettes. In the U.S, the sales-weighted amount of
tar in cigarettes fell from 39 mg in 1959 to 16 mg in 1977 (Fig. 1). The
nicotine values declined from 2.5 mg in 1959 to.1.1 mg in 1977. In other
countries, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, and the Federal
Republic of Germany, there were similar reductions of tar and nicotine. The
gradual reduction of tar and nicotine was accompanied by selective reductions
of certain other smoke constituents, such.as benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) (Hoffmann
. . .
:=`-~ et al. 1980a).
. 251

. Several developments have led to these reductions. One of the major.
factors was the increased consumer acceptance of filter-tipped cigarettes. Nine-.
teen percent of the American cigarettes were filter tipped in 1956, and in 1977,
filter-tipped brands amounted' to 90% of all cigarettes sold in the U.S.
Major changes occurred also in the composition of the cigarette. filler. '
These major modifications and their effects on smoke composition and'. on
tumorigenicity of the smoke in experimental settings are listed in Table I(Gori
1976; Wynder et al. 1976; Wynder and Hoffmann 1979). We have also found
indications that the tumorigenicity of the tar, measured by the incidence of
tumors on the skin of mice, has been selectively reduced since 1954.or 1955
(Wynder and Hoffmann 1979).
The greatest changes in the composition of commercially blended ciga-
rettes in many Western countries were brought about by the use of tobaccos
which yield less tar (from new cultivars and because of more careful selection),
the use of tobacco stems, reconstituted tobacco. sheets, expanded fobacco`
lamina and stems, and tobacco leaves with better combustibility.
The reduction of tar and nicotine in smoke during the last two decades has
been paralleled by a significant reduction in the concentration of carbon.
monoxide (CO) in the smoke of commercial cigarettes (Weber 1976). Studies
from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States have demonstrated
that cQrtventional, nonperforated, filter cigarettes can even deliver smoke with
t sornewhat higher CO concentrations than do some nonfilter cigarettes (Wald
Table l '
.Relative Effecti
for Reducing tf
. Agricultural aspec
: Tobacco type
(brightburle.
New cultivars
Nitrate fertiliza~
Tobacco processii
Cut
Use of stems
RTS-nonpaper
RTS-paper pro;
Expanded tobat
Expanded steni
Cigarette product i'
Paper porosity
Cellulose aceta
filters"
Charcoal f Iters
'Perforated filtei
-'Comparison o
°Significant rec
"Unknown redi
°lnsignificant rt
..~~ Questionable r
rGreater than 5(1
Some reconstit
'Reductions of
in general, sor
1976; Weber 197
by utilization of
cantly below tho:
tips, which work
only in recent ye
sold in the U.S.
shown that the b
cigarettes are on'
1978')1.

....:-+ti~c....
.~.%~N. .~ .
Yaww_~.
.~-.,:.
Methods tar nicotine BlalP carcinogenicity - tumor promotion,
Agricultural aspects
...~.,.
Tobacco type
(bright-burley) +" +
._`+'fijQvl i Airw cnltivara . -1- t- '
Nitrate fertilization +
Tobacco processina
Cut ±
~.-,-
;:t~2. . . Use of stetns . . + + +
s + + +
RTS
-nonpaper process
RTS-paper process + + + +
Expanded tobacco + . ++ +
" r~' 1 Expanded stems + + + +
~~
-
'
-
a3?
Ctgarette production
Cellulose acetate
tilters"
Charcoal filtersh + + +
' Perforated' filters " ' ' ++ ++ ++
'Comparison of gram-to-gram tar in mouse skin tests andlor hamster smoke inhalations:
"Significant reductions.
QUnknown reductions.
alnsignificant reductions.
Questionable reductions.
.
tGreater than 50% reduction.
6Some reconstituted tobacco sheets (RTS) produce high levels of CO:.
t'Reductions of tar, nicotine, and B[a]P (and'other nonvolatiles) and volatile N-nitrosamines are,.
in general, somewhat greater with cellulose acetate fibers than with charcoal filters.
1976; Weber 1976; Hoffmann et al. 1980a). This effect has been counteracted
by utilization of perforated filter tips that produce smoke CO levels signifi-
cantly below those of other types of cigarettes (Table 2). Such perforated filter
tips, which work basically on an air dilution principle, appeared on the market
only in recent years. It is expected that in 1979 close to 25% of all cigarettes
sold in the U.S. market will have perforated filter tips. It has recently been
shown that the beneficial effects of these low-CO, low-tar, and low-nicotine
cigarettes are only partially negated by more intensive smoking (Sutton et al.
1978).
raper poroslty

2541 E. LaVoie et al.
Table 2
Carbon Monoxide in Smoke of Cigarettes
Carbon monoxide (mg/cigt)
nonfilter regular
fiiter
US (190% of average 1977-78
sales)' 11.6-17.0
(N = 8)F 14.4-20.0
(N = 23)
UK (1975)" 9-16 - 13-18
(N = 9). (N = 10)
,
Germany (1975) 16-21 15.5-22.5
(N = 7) (N = 17)
a= Getmany (1978) 14.5-19.9 8.6-18.5
(N = 16) (N = 15)
perforated
filter
2.8-12.8
(N = 9)
2.2-13.8
(N = 9)
' Average values for nonfilter cigarettes, 14.9 mg; for regular filter cigarettes, 17.1 mg; for
perforated filter cigarettes. 8.9 mg.
',Average values for nonfilter cigarettes, 12.5 mg; for filter cigarettes, 16.1 mg.
`1V = number of commercial cigarettes tested.
TOBACCO SMOKE FLAVOR
The development of the low-tar, low-nicotine cigarette required cigarette fillers
with a potential for smoke flavor contribution to make these cigarettes acceptable
to consumers. Such products can be realized either by selecting tobaccos rich in
flavor or by addition.of tobacco extracts or certain plant extracts, addition of
synthetic flavor compounds, or a combination of several' of these factors.
Products with tobacco blends that are rich in flavor components or contain
added extracts, require thorough evaluation of the biological activities of their
smoke. New cigarettes should be assayed for toxicity and tumorigenicity, so
that the reduction of toxic and tumorigenic effects in the smoke of low-tar,
low-nicotine cigarettes is not offset by the introduction of unknown factors.
The relationship of specific chemical smoke components with the aroma of
tobacco and its smoking quality has been the subject of extensive review
(Leffingwell et al. 1972; Leffingweli 1976). In 1936, it was shown that-higher
sugar content and lower a-amino nitrogen and totall nitrogen are correlated with
better smoking grades of flue-cured tobacco (Darkis et al. 1936). Since the
levels of free amino acids and reducing sugars in tobacco are known to affect
the quality of tobacco, factors influencing their formation have been extensively studied. Tlte
influences of genotype, maturity, stalk pdsition, harvesting, and
curing practices have been reviewed (Tso 1972; Hamilton 1974).
The enzymatic hydrolysis of leaf protein to free amino acids and the
enzymatic hydrolysis of starches to reducing sugars are among the major factors
affecting tobacco flavor
of amino acids with rec
in flue-cured tobacco (
and smoke occurs via
Maillard reaction that c
2. The amine in this
presence of amines ai
likelihood that all of tht
Strecker reaction convt
Iion of the resulting a
various mixtures of p)
reactions of amino acic
by which natural flavor
terpenoids and caroten
compounds . (Enzell 19
aroma of tobacco are
acids.: -
e~cx o c cx~=e
WV
-0
cxo
f-
Mechanisde pathways of the

affecting tobacco flavor. The formation of Amadori compounds by the reaction
of amino acids with reducing sugars in the leaf has been shown to be extensive
in flue-cured tobacco (Fig. 2). The formation of flavor compounds in tobacco
and smoke occurs via Maillard and Stcecker reactions. Two pathways of the
Maillard reaction that directly involve reducing sugars are illustrated in Figure
ed not necessarily be an amino acid. The
i
on ne
2. The amine in this react
free ammonia in smoke or tobacco indicates the
presence of amines and
likelihood that all of these substances also interact with the reducing sugar. The
Con
Strecker reaction converts a-amiciti ncid ~to aldehydes ketones.
leadsta
pon of the resulting amino-carbonyl compounds
these nonenzymaue browning
3
). ,
various mixtures of pyrazTnes 4Fig.
reactions of amino acids and 'sugars are generally accepted as the major routes
roduced. The oxidative degradation of -
o are
b
p
acc
flavorsin to
by which natural
terpenoids and carotenoids has also been shown to generate numerous flavor
l
n
ce
compounds (Enzell 1976). Additiona
lower~molecular-weight carboxylic
aroma of tobacco are derived from th
acids.
~_~~ -7,j Zr'
~..~..

Figure 3
Formation of a-aminoketones from a-dicarbonyl compounds and their role in the formation of
pyrazines
BIOASSAYS OF TOBACCO FtAV/OR' COMPONENTS
Several alkylated 2-cyclopenten-2-ol-l-ones, which are known flavorants, were
detectedd in the biologically active portion of the weakly acidic fraction of
cigarette smoke (Hecht et al. 1975; S. Hecht et al., in prep.). In view of the .
tumor-promoting activity and cocarcinogenic activity of the weakly acidic
fraction, 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-2-ol-1-one was bioassayed on mouse skin as a
tumor promoter. H'owever,, this compound failed to show promoter activity.
Studies on its cocarcinogenic activity are still in progress. Its inactivity as a
mutagen in the Ames assay has also been recently demonstrated (Bjeldanes and
Chew 1979). Maltol, a structurally related tobacco flavorant, was found to be
mutagenic towards Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 at high doses.
Assays for mutagenic activity of the distillates obtained from tobacco have
recently been employed as a general screen for flavor components that may
possess tumorigenic activity. Since at least 75% of all known carcinogens are
active as mutagens in the Salmonella/mammalian. microsomal assay system;
this bioassay was employed as a guide for fractionation of the distillate. The
apparatus used in this study is illustrated in Figure 4. A i-liter flask, which
contained 50 g of finely ground tobacco,, was suspended in the gas chromato-
graph ~o as not to be in contact with any side of the oven. Two speciaCtraps,
cooled in ice-water and in dry-ice and acetone were used to collect the
distillate. A third trap was filled with toluene as a gas scrubber. A stream of
helium (50 ml/min) was employed before and during the distillation. The oven
of the gas chromatograph allowed for controlled, even heating of the tobacco.
This is in contrast to pyrolysis units 'tn which contact with the heating coils can
cause exoessive and uncontrolled localized heating effects or hot spots.
Figure 4 -
Gas ch.romatograph equ
The distillate
using Na_S0a, an(
. In most instances,
Iates of either trap
. 250°C. When vari
ity could be dete,
Although mutagen
with both TA98 x
.
Fractionation- of la
and neutral fractic
mutagenicity of 11
could be concentr4
Column chroo
concentrated the r
subfractions. The
trated by higli-prc
man Magnum 9/C
soluble portion of
fractions as showr
gas chromatograp
`..~.:'.~ ..

. Figure 4
Gas cF.romatooraph equipped for collection of tobacco distillates
The distillate in each trap was extracted with methylene chloride,, dried
using Na_SOa, and concentrated to a residue by careful evaporation of solvent. .
In most instances, significant mutagenic activity was rarely observed for distil-
lates of either trap at a dose of 1.0 mg/plate when the tobacco was heated below
250°C: When various ground tobaccos were heated to 300°C, mutagenic activ-
.
ity could be detected' in both the ice-water and dry-ice and acetone traps.
Although mutagenic activity was observed in the presence of liver homogenate
with both TA98 and TA100, tester strain TA98 was generally more sensitive.'
Fractionation of larger quantities of the combined distillates into acidic, basic,
and neutral fractions was performed as outlined in Figure 5. Assays on the' .
mutagenicity of "these fractions demonstrated that almost all of the activity
could be concentrated in the basic ether-soluble fraction.
Column chromatography of the basic fraction using Silicar CC-7 further
concentrated the mutagenic activity in the benzene and benzene-ethyl acetate
subfractions. The mutagenic activity of these subfractions was further concen-.
trated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a 50 cm What-
man Magnum 91ODS reverse phase column. Thus, the mutagenic, basic, ether-
soluble portion of the distillate obtained at 300°C was concentrated into three
fractions as shown in.Figure 6. These fractions are currently being subjected to
gas chromatographic mass spectral analysis (GG-MS). Among the more suit-

258! E. LaVoie at al.
TOBACCO DISTILLATE (5G/1KGOF TOBACCO)
' s1iH6 CA
s
Figure 5
Fractionation of tobacco distillate into acidic, basic, and neutral 'components
able columns for analysis of these active fractions are 6% Dexsil-300 (12 feet)
and 3% OV-1 (6 feet) on Chromosorb WHP 80/100. Among the compounds
that have been tentatively identified were trimethylpyridine, methylnicotinate,
barmane, norharmane, methylimidazole, and diphenylpyridine. Further frac-
tionation by HPLC and analysis of mutagenic activity will be required for the
ultimate identification of the major mutagenic components found in tobacco
distillates. Upon identification of the structure of mutagenic agents, methods
for their quantitative assessment in distillates of. tobacco as well as in smoke
wili be established. Subsequently, a qualitative and quantitative comparison of
cigarettes with extreme differences in tar and nicotine yield will be made and
mutagenic compounds that are potentially - carcinogenic, cocarcinogenic, or
tumor-promoting will be subjected to other appropriate bioassays. This com-
prehensive approach would assure a complete evaluation of the 1ow-tar, low
nicotine cigarette in respect to flavor compounds, an aspect of tobacco research
that has thus far been neglected. - `
SUMMARY
Tobacco selection, advanced techniques of smoke filtration, use of reconsti-
tuted tobaccos, and other technological innovatioris have contributed towards
the development of cigarettes with reduced tar and nicotine levels in the smoke.
Figure 6
Fractioaation scheme i
These modificatio
is now increasinl
organic flavor ex
biological activitic
The use of mutag,
as an initial scrcer
flavorants.
:
ACKk11OWLEDGM
We wish to thank
assistance. This s
CP-55666 and Ar
REFERENCES
Amesican CancerSc
Americans. t

Tobacco Smoke Flavors 1259
BASIC FRACTION I I3G/I.D KG OF T08AOC01
ETNER SOLUBLE
SILICAR CC-7; .
50 GRAMS
. 50x 5%
~}{~ EtOAc EtOAC M~/EIOAe
21 .3) 4)
REVERSE PHASE HPLC
89MG WHATMAN MAGNUM 9/50 CM
ODS COLUMN'
MeON
8 6 7 8 9 10 ~
4
2 3
..It- -
J
l...r-
~
.
g
'C`

260! E. LaVoie et al.
Bjeldanes, L.F. and H. Chew. 1979. Mutagenicityof 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds: Maltol,
kojic acid, diacetyl and related'substances. Meitat Res. 67:367.
Darkis, F.R., L.F. Dixon, F.A. Wolf, and P.M. Gross. 1936. Correlation between
composition and stalk position'of tobacco produced under varying weather condi-
tions. Ind'. Eng. Chem 28:1214.
Enzell, C.R. 1976. Terpenoid components of leaf and their relationship to smoking quality
and aroma. In Recent advances in tobacco science, vol. 2, p. 32.30th Tobacco
Chemists Research Conference, Montreal.
Gori, G.B. 1976. Low risk cigarettes: A prescription. Science 194:1243.
Hamilton, J.L. 1974. Changes during curing of burley tobacco, Ph.D: dissertation,
University of Kentucky. Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Hecht, S.S., R.L. Thorne, R.R. Maronpot, and D. Hoffmann..1975. A study of tobacco
carcinogenesis. XIIL Tumor-promoting subfractions of the weakly acidic fraction.
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 55:1329.
Hoffmann, D., T.C. Tso, and G. B. Gori. 1!980a. The less harmfu2 cigarette. Prev. Med.
(in press).
H'offmann D., S.S. Hecht, I. Schmeltz, E. LaVoie, and E.L. Wynder. 1980b. Recent
studies in tobacco carcinogenesis: Chemistry, bioassay, and bioassay monitoring.
(In press)
Leffingwell, J.C. 1976. Nitrogen components of leaf and their relationship to smoking
quality and aroma. In Recent advances in tobacco science, vol'. 2, p. 1. 30th
Tobacco Chemists Research Conference, Montreal. -
Leffingwell, J.C., H.J. Young and E. Bernasek. 1972. Tobacco flavoring for smoking
products. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Sutton, S.R., C. Feyerabend, P. V. Cole, and IvI. A. Russell. 1978. Adjustmcnt of smokers
to dilution of tobacco smoke by ventilated' cigarette holders: Clin. Pharinacol. Ther..
24:395.
Tso, T.C. 1972. Physiology and biochemistry of tobacco plants, Dowden, Hutchinson,
. 2-:M~
and R
s
I
Str
ud
bu
P
l
i
,
rg,
van
os
nc.,
o
s
ennsy
a.
Wald, N.J. 1976. Mortality from lung cancer and coronary heart' disease in relation. to
ha
i
ki
habit
L
1:136
nges
n smo
ng
.
ancet
c
.
Weber, K.H. 1976. Recent changes in tobacco products and their acceptance by the
di
I
P
&
Six
h I
n
rocee
ngs of t
t
consumer.
e
nternational Tobacco Science Congress, p.
Japan. .. :aw
:
47. Tokyo
,
Wynder, E.L. and D. Hoffmann. 1979. Tobacco and health: A societal challenge. N. ,
Er+gl. J. Med. 300:894.
Wynder, E. L. and S.D. Stellman. 1979. Impact of long-term filtercigarette usage on lung
and larynx cancer risk: A case control study. .l. Natl: Cancer Inst. 62:471'.
Wynder, E.L., D. Hoffmann, and G.B. Gori. 1976. Smoking and health I. Modifying the
risk for the smoker. In Proceedings of the Third FVorld Conference on Smoking and
Plealth. DH'EW publication number (N1H) 76-1221. Government Printing Office,
p ^~
wasnington, u.t.:.
G10 B. GOR! "
aivision of Cancer Ca
National Cancer Instit
Bethesda, Maryland 2
Epidemiological studi
between thc amouitt (
diseases in humans (1:
1966; Kahn 1966; W
1973). Two approact
smoke to which the
smoking and manipul
cigarettes so that the h
Efforts to induce
as judged by annual c
tion increased by abot
an increasY of 2.8%
reduction in the late I
Health Service 1964)
Figure 1. The rates.1t,
annually since 1974 (
same period (1943-1
from over 40 mg to
action by the cigaret
demand by the smokc
Figure 2. Data on th
same period are not r
took place.
This discussion
smoke emission fron
consumer acceptance
feasible solutions for
Cigarztte smoke
phase. The particuI:
condensed particles o
