Chili Pepper Flavourants in 'Heat" Oral Nicotine Pouches Marketed as Unflavoured in United States Jurisdictions Restricting Flavoured Tobacco Products
Background: In the United States, several states have restricted sales of flavoured tobacco products, including popular menthol- and mint-flavored Oral Nicotine Pouches (ONP). In response, tobacco companies introduced "unflavoured" ONP containing odorless synthetic cooling agents. Since these, in turn, have become targets of legislative bans, the tobacco industry may seek out flavourants with…
In the United States, certain states have imposed restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including popular Oral Nicotine Pouches (ONP) with mint and menthol flavors. In response, tobacco companies have begun marketing unflavored ONP containing odorless synthetic cooling agents. However, these unflavored ONP are now facing challenges as legislative bans target them, prompting the industry to seek alternative flavourants with different sensory effects to boost their appeal.
To investigate this trend, researchers searched online merchants for unflavored ONP marketed to consumers in jurisdictions with flavor bans. They analyzed the sensory effects of aqueous extracts from these heat/spicy and unflavored ONP using Ca2+ microfluorimetry in human cells expressing the heat/chili pepper flavourant receptor, hTRPV1. Additionally, the researchers determined the presence of capsaicinoids in the ONP using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (UPLC/MS).
The study revealed a new category of heat or spicy ONP, some marketed as unflavored. Extracts from all these ONP were found to robustly activate TRPV1, with the unflavored Lucy Heat being the most potent. Chemical analysis showed that Lucy Heat contained a high level of the synthetic capsaicinoid nonivamide (~650 microgram/pouch), while other products contained mixtures of capsaicinoids (5-25 microgram/pouch) combined with other flavor characteristics (tropical, fruit).
The findings suggest that the tobacco industry continues to exploit regulatory loopholes by claiming that newly introduced heat flavourants in ONP do not constitute characterizing flavors, justifying their sales in US jurisdictions with flavor bans. This claim is contradicted by industry documentation that assigns flavour descriptors to these additives.
The researchers emphasize the need to assess the toxicological oral health risks associated with repeated exposures to capsaicinoids due to ONP use, in combination with nicotine and other constituents.
Written by urgent.news from bioRxiv's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
