Elemental and Isotopic Characterization of Tobacco from Umbria

Abstract

Umbrian tobacco of the Virginia Bright variety is one of the most appreciated tobaccos in Europe, and one characterized by an excellent yield. In recent years, the Umbria region and local producers have invested in introducing novel practices (for production and processing) focused on environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Due to this, tobacco from Umbria is a leading commodity in the global tobacco industry, and it claims a high economic value. The aim of this study is then to assess if elemental and isotopic compositions can be used to protect the quality and geographical traceability of this particular tobacco. For the first time the characteristic value ranges of the stable isotope ratios of the bio-elements as a whole (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, and δ34S) and of the concentration of 56 macro- and micro-elements are now available, determined in Virginia Bright tobacco produced in two different areas of Italy (Umbria and Veneto), and from other worldwide geographical regions. The ranges of variability of elements and stable isotope ratios had slightly different results, according to the three geographical origins considered. In particular, Umbria samples presented significantly lower content of metals potentially dangerous for human health. The results of this first exploratory work highlight the possibility of characterizing tobacco from Umbria, and suggest widening the scope of the survey throughout Italy and foreign regions, in order to be used to describe the geographical origin of tobacco in general and verify the origin of the products on the market.

Stable isotope characterization of tobacco products: A determination of synthetic or natural nicotine authenticity

“…Furthermore, from the results shown in Figure 3A, the levels of δ 2 H in the samples with synthetic nicotine were significantly higher than those in natural tobacco products. The same phenomenon was observed in a previous study that sought to authenticate Allium species essential oils 23 . The origin of this discrepancy is not fully understood, but can probably be attributed to the processes of isotopic fractionation during tobacco growth.…”

“…The same phenomenon was observed in a previous study that sought to authenticate Allium species essential oils. 23 The origin of this discrepancy is not fully understood, but can probably be attributed to the processes of isotopic fractionation during tobacco growth.…”

“…21 At present, literature reports indicate that stable isotopes in tobacco are closely related to geographic origin. 22,23 Meanwhile, Chung et al successfully demonstrated compoundspecific δ 13 C and δ 15 N analyses of fatty acids and amino acids for improving the authentication of organic milk against conventional milk collected in Korea. 24 Stable isotope measurements (δ 2 H/δ 13 C/δ 15 N), distinguishing natural from synthetic ephedrine, proved valuable in linking seizures from different times and locations within Queensland, Australia.…”

“…Rogers and co‐workers demonstrated that leaf age, species, and the relationship with cultivated soil were also key factors affecting stable isotope fractionation 21 . At present, literature reports indicate that stable isotopes in tobacco are closely related to geographic origin 22,23 . Meanwhile, Chung et al successfully demonstrated compound‐specific δ 13 C and δ 15 N analyses of fatty acids and amino acids for improving the authentication of organic milk against conventional milk collected in Korea 24 .…”

Dokha brand differentiation by elemental analysis measured by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry

“…Other factors include the absorbability of the plant, chemical state of the soil, climate, microorganism activity, pesticide use, pollution, water, cultivation practices, and processing methods [11]. These elemental differences have been determined using various analytical techniques such as wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) [12][13][14][15][16][17], inductively coupled-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or ICP-optical emission spectrometry (OES) [9,10,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36], isotope ratio-mass spectrometry (IRMS) [23,28,29,31,37,38], and laser ablationinductively coupled-mass spectrometry (LA−ICP−MS) [39] and have been used for geographical origin determination [10,13,14,36,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]…”