Free Amino Acids in Cigarette Smoke (I)–(II)

Abstract

Free amino acids in the cigarette smoke, produced in constant-volume continuous smoking by the use of an artificial smoking-device, have been paper-chromatographically studied, and twelve amino acids, i.e., α-alanine, β-alanine, glycine, glutamic acid, glutamine, serine, γ-amino butyric acid, valine, leucine, aspartic acid, proline, and ornithine(?) were qualitatively identified. Besides these amino acids, the presence of the other two unidentified ninhydrin-positive substances was observed. The presence of ten amino acids, other than glutamic acid and glutamine, has not yet been reported in the literature concerning tobacco smoke. Free amino acid contained in the smoke of seven different cigarettes, respectively made from a single variety of tobacco, have been quantitatively determined by paper chromatography and colorimetry. Fourteen amino acids (α-alanine, proline, glycine, glutamic acid, glutamine, β-alanine, serine, γ-amino butyric acid, aspartic acid, valine, leucine, ornithine, threonine, and phenylalanine) and three ninhydrin-positive substances were detected. Of these acids α-alanine was most abundant (10.5–268.2γ/1 cigt.) and proline (5.5–25.1γ), glycine (4.7–22.5γ), etc. followed in this order. In general, the smoke of sun-cured or bulk-sweated tobaccos contained more kinds and more amounts of amino acids than that of flue-cured tobaccos. In another experiment, it was found that about 15% of artificially added mono-sodium glutamate is transferred into cigarette smoke.