title: Supercritical fluid extraction in the determination of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines in smokeless tobacco.
abstract: A new approach to the analysis of the carcinogenic, tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA) in moist snuff tobacco is based on the extraction of tobacco with methanol-modified supercritical carbon dioxide. Extracted TSNA are trapped across a glass cartridge filled with Tenax GR, from which they are subsequently released by thermal desorption and analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with a thermal energy analyzer. The analytical recoveries for the major TSNA range from 83 to 98%; the detection limits are below 2 ng/g. The methodology is fast, reproducible, highly selective, and sensitive. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) releases up to 7 times more of the highly carcinogenic 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) from tobacco than has been determined after conventional solvent extraction. Studies have confirmed that this is not an artifact. In contrast, the cyclic N-nitrosamines, N'-nitrosonornicotine, N'-nitrosoanabasine, and N'-nitrosoanatabine, showed no significant quantitative differences whether determined by the SFE method or the conventional solvent extraction method.
authors.affiliation: Naylor Dana Institute for Disease Prevention, American Health Foundation, Valhalla, New York 10595.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prokopczyk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Brunnemann
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005612:Freeze Drying; D009602:Nitrosamines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012997:Solvents; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009602:Nitrosamines; D012997:Solvents; D002245:Carbon Dioxide