White portions and nicotine absorption

[snusjus]

I have heard that white portion snus delivers nicotine at a slower rate than original portion snus. Is there any data to back this up? For example, if you compared General Original and General White, they both have the same pH and amount of tobacco in each sachet; the only difference is the moisture content, since white portions don't undergo "wetting" during the manufacturing process.

So this is my question: does original portion snus deliver nicotine quicker and more efficiently than white portion snus? Here is a graph that shows the nicotine blood levels throughout a 24 hour time period with different varieties of snus/nicotine gum:



The 1g sachet of Catch White delivers less nicotine than the 1g sachet of General Original. However, the lower pH level of Catch must be take into account as well.

[Veganpunk]

I commend you on your fine graph!

[paulwall9]

That is pretty awesome Snusjus!!

[chadizzy1]

Excellent work!

[paulwall9]

Wow though that white mini portion is like using nic gum which sucks big time!!!

[Liandri]

I've seen that graph before.

[snusjus]

I've seen that graph before.

I designed the graph on my own!

Just kidding, I pulled it from www.swedishmatch.com

I need Joakim or Markus to answer my question!

[paulwall9]

SnusJus, YOU EVIL PASTER!

[Markus and Joakim]

Re: White portions and nicotine absorption

I have heard that white portion snus delivers nicotine at a slower rate than original portion snus. Is there any data to back this up? For example, if you compared General Original and General White, they both have the same pH and amount of tobacco in each sachet; the only difference is the moisture content, since white portions don't undergo "wetting" during the manufacturing process.

So this is my question: does original portion snus deliver nicotine quicker and more efficiently than white portion snus? Here is a graph that shows the nicotine blood levels throughout a 24 hour time period with different varieties of snus/nicotine gum:



The 1g sachet of Catch White delivers less nicotine than the 1g sachet of General Original. However, the lower pH level of Catch must be take into account as well.

Hi snusjus,

Several factors determine the uptake of nicotine from various types of snus products, some of them are related to the product itself, and some depend on the individual user. Product development of snus at Swedish Match has traditionally always been focused at meeting customer demands and expectations. That is, achieving a specific nicotine delivery profile has typically not been a primary aim. Therefore, there is relatively little information from formal nicotine uptake studies on how such things as moisture, particle size, pouch material etc affects uptake. Most of what we know in this field comes from years of experience. The study from which your graph comes from was commissioned by us. But the primary aim of the research was not to study nicotine uptake from various snus products, it was to investigate if differences in uptake profile of snus compared to nicotine gum might help to explain why snus is the most commonly used and the most effective smoking cessation aid in both Sweden and Norway (an observation made in several observational epidemiological studies).

Experience tells us that uptake is quicker and more efficient from high moisture products. This is consistent with the observations made in the cited formal study. That study, however, did not include a comprehensive evaluation of this issue, so it remains unclear how important moisture content is relative to all other relevant factors. In summary, all other factors being equal, experience tells us that General Original should deliver nicotine somewhat quicker and more effectively than General White, but we don't have results from formal studies to back up that statement.

When I asked my colleague, Professor Lars-Erik Rutqvist (Senior Vice President Scientific Affairs), for any formal studies on this matter he made this comment:

"I expect we will see more formal nicotine uptake studies in the future as a result of the recently enacted FDA regulation of the tobacco market in the US. Such studies may permit more science based answers than are possible today on these issues. However, such studies are apparently controversial in some circles. It was recently reported in Swedish media that the Regional Research Ethics Committee in Lund in southern Sweden had turned down an application to do such a study on various snus products. The Committee's decision was reported to be based on the view that the study was unnecessary because, in their view, society should work to abolish tobacco in any form. I have learnt that the decision now has been appealed. Based on my experience as chairman of the Karolinska Institute Research Ethics Committe during many years, I expect the appeal will go through."

Best regards,
Joakim

[snusjus]

Thanks for the thorough response! I actually made a mistake: Catch Licorice has the same pH level as General Portion. I mistakenly though ALL Catch snus had a lower pH level, however, after reading a previous post, its only the "Catch Dry" line that has a lower pH.

So, the answer would be yes: white portions deliver a lower level of nicotine than original portions. The amount of nicotine absorbed could be adjusted though, since a snus user could add saliva to the portion and "manipulate" the snus, similar to how cigarette smokers compensate for nicotine uptake when smoking "low-tar" cigarettes.