Is this for real? Skruf fermented?

[squeezyjohn]

I just found this (extremely amusingly translated) website while searching for something else: http://www.snusgeneral.com/SkrufSnus.html

I have had a good look round the site and I'm not sure that I trust it too much - but the bit that caught my eye was this:

"There are huge similarities between Skruf Snus and American tobacco product. The intaking procedure is also same. Nevertheless, you do not need to spit after taking Skruf Snus tobacco product. The specialty of this unique product is that it is fire -cured rather than steam-cured. It includes no additional sugar and it is completely fermented."

Someone recently said that they thought that Gellivare used fermented or fire-cured tobaccos and now this article says that Skruf is fermented too.

Is it only Swedish Match products which are safe from these processes? I'm a bit concerned because I thought that these were the things that caused increased levels of TSNAs and therefore carcinogenic properties that I normally don't associate with snus.

[lxskllr]

"While smoking you intake oodles of unhygienic nicotine."
:^D

I'd take anything from that site with a grain of salt. The translation's so bad, it's hard to tell what was originally written.

[---Nicotinic Acid---]

That would explain why it's so much stronger than most other snuses. The fermentation makes the tobacco stronger, which is why cope/skoal/ etc are much much stronger than most snus.

I really don't care, I LOVE skruf; and I'm pretty sure that all snus must meet some sort of TSNA criteria. The description of Skruf on Northerner says that Skruf is very low in TSNA but I haven't read an exact number.

[toekuttr]

I'd be interested to know what that number is, that's one of my favorites and one of the best to use for replacing smokes. Fermentation is where TSNA's develop but aren't the new US dips much lower in them now too, almost on par with Snus? Maybe there's a way around TSNA's developing despite fermentation.

[lxskllr]

I don't know that it is fermented. Looking over that site, I saw places where words were transposed, and some generally boogered up translations. I wouldn't use that site for any information unless it could be confirmed elsewhere.

[snusjus]

The tobacco leaf selection and the top modern production facilities at Skruf gives lower levels of the poisoning TSNA than other leading brands (according to Svenska Livsmedelsverket - the Swedish National food Administration).

I'm not too worried about the TSNA levels in Skruf. Perhaps the snus is fermented then pasteurized??

[snusjus]

I recently opened up a portion of Skruf Stark and it looks very different than Skruf Stark Los. The tobacco in the portions are somewhat similar to Camel snus... except they actually taste good! This is probably due to the use of more whole tobacco leaves to increase the nicotine content.

[ponysoprano]

I've escaped the grim reaper too many times in the past year to worry, Skruf is delicious, if it kills me, the only annoying thing will be all those whispered "I told him so'"s at my funeral from self-righteous non smokers/tobacco users in the family. :shock:
Besides, some of the best things in life come from fermentation......alcohol, kimchee etc.

[Grim]

The way i see it is just do what you love.

There are nitrosamines in food products and other things in our everyday lives.

If its good and you enjoy it then just use it.

Lifes too short to worry about TSNAs.

[Mongrul]

some of the best things in life come from fermentation......alcohol, kimchee etc.

I'm suprised you mentioned kimchee. That, pickled vegees, Korean BBQ short ribs, SAKE!! Yum. The damn sake will kill me before snus does.

[ponysoprano]

some of the best things in life come from fermentation......alcohol, kimchee etc.

I'm suprised you mentioned kimchee. That, pickled vegees, Korean BBQ short ribs, SAKE!! Yum. The damn sake will kill me before snus does.

seriously man! when I was a kid my mom worked weekends and my dad stayed home. We used to watch M.A.S.H and cheesy Sunday movies on tv like Charles Bronson stuff and eat kimchee and hot sausages and other gas-inducing foods. My mom would always come home and grouse about the foul smell of dad's cooking and our flatulent nature.

[Mongrul]

M.A.S.H and cheesy Sunday movies on tv like Charles Bronson stuff and eat kimchee and hot sausages and other gas-inducing foods.

Damn dude, it doesn't get better than that! Some of Bronsons movies scared the living crap out me when I was a kid. And I love MASH! But how did Dad learn about kimchee? I picked it up while living overseas for many years, both as a kid, and in the military. Funny thing is, my wife works on weekends now, and I stay home! But the kids are mostly gone now, and I'm usually working. Sucks.

[ponysoprano]

I don't really know how my dad became aware of foods like Kimchee back in the day...He's always been a great cook, so he might have picked it up from a cookbook or at an asian foods store.

[Bruce]

I'd be interested to know what that number is, that's one of my favorites and one of the best to use for replacing smokes. Fermentation is where TSNA's develop but aren't the new US dips much lower in them now too, almost on par with Snus? Maybe there's a way around TSNA's developing despite fermentation.

You can prevent the formation of Trinitrosamines by removing the Nitrate salts. That would be complicated however. I'm guessing they ferment the tobacco in conditions unfavorable to the formation of TSNAs, such as adding a reagant which will tend to react with the Nitrates. This is likely combined with a temperature, pressure and moisture conditions unfavorable to TSNA formation. The exact method is doubtless a trade secret.

This is of course the beautiful thing about Snus. The reaction conditions are very easily controlled. Consequently, making a safe cigarette is nearly impossible because that final violent reactive step (burning the cigarette) is totally uncontrolled. The alkaloids in the plant include Nicotine, but also undesirable functional groups which readily form TSNAs while the smoker inhales from the Cigarette. Interestingly, a slowly burning cigarette (one creating second hand smoke) is more favorable to the formation of more stable TSNAs. In my opinion this is why second hand smoke is so surprisingly harmful.