Why the ammonia smell in certain snus?

[Snusmun]

Hi J & M and other professionals.

Could somebody please elaborate on why some snus smells strongly of ammonia and some does not?

I have been doing a little research on it and still cannot understand its presence nor its inconsistency. Is it a natural by-product of production? Is it a result of ammonium compounds being added, yet called "flavor additives".....etc. etc. There are lots of possibilities it seems. One thing is clear is that its presence facilitates nicotine absorption, which is good, but ammonia itself is not particularly healthy to inhale or ingest. Not to mention it stinks.

[justintempler]

taken from BAT's website

http://www.bat.com/group/sites/uk__3mnfen.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO726LRU/$FILE/medMD53JCTN.pdf?openelement

Ammonia: Ammonia compounds occur naturally in tobacco. Tobaccos containing natural ammonia compounds and sugars which react with one another during the curing and ageing process. Their reaction gives tobacco naturally pleasant aromas and flavours. A similar process occurs in beef, coffee and bread which produce unique aromas and flavours when they are roasted or baked. We add ammonia to some of our US-style cigarettes to enhance the reaction with sugars to further improve their flavour. Ammonia technology as such in commercial products does not increase “smoke pH”, does not boost nicotine delivery to smokers and does not otherwise increase the smokers’ absorption of nicotine.

[lxskllr]

To take Justin's reply a bit farther... Ammonia isn't added to snus, but the natural aging gives it an ammonia scent until it airs out. Nasal snuff's the same way, and it can smell strong when it's fresh. Some people like it, but I'm not one of them. I let it for awhile if my snuff has a strong ammonia odor. I don't bother with snus. I use that at any stage of freshness.

[justintempler]

To take Justin's reply a bit farther... Ammonia isn't added to snus,......

Except when it is...
ammonium chloride = Sal ammoniac = salmiak
It's in Lucky Strike and N&J to name just two.

sorry lxskllr ops:

[lxskllr]

To take Justin's reply a bit farther... Ammonia isn't added to snus,......

Except when it is...
ammonium chloride = Sal ammoniac = salmiak
It's in Lucky Strike and N&J to name just two.

sorry lxskllr ops:

:^D

I'll take your word for it. I don't use N&J to check, and I thought salmiak was a generic term for salty licorice, and didn't necessarily have to contain ammonium chloride :^)

[Snusmun]

taken from BAT's website

http://www.bat.com/group/sites/uk__3mnfen.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO726LRU/$FILE/medMD53JCTN.pdf?openelement

Ammonia: Ammonia compounds occur naturally in tobacco. Tobaccos containing natural ammonia compounds and sugars which react with one another during the curing and ageing process. Their reaction gives tobacco naturally pleasant aromas and flavours. A similar process occurs in beef, coffee and bread which produce unique aromas and flavours when they are roasted or baked. We add ammonia to some of our US-style cigarettes to enhance the reaction with sugars to further improve their flavour. Ammonia technology as such in commercial products does not increase “smoke pH”, does not boost nicotine delivery to smokers and does not otherwise increase the smokers’ absorption of nicotine.

Well this is exactly one of things that confuses me. I'm aware that normal curing of tobacco, ie. fermentation, releases ammonia, but snus is specifically not fermented (correct?), but is instead pasteurized, which is the main reason it less harmful than other tobaccos. Now maybe the heating during pasteurization has a similar effect of ammonia release, kind of like an accelerated fermentation. But I would not have figured that after manufacture it would continue to off-gas, since given the amount of salt, the high pH from the sodium carbonate, and refrigeration, there little chance of any fermentation taking place. Now with snuff, or a cigar, or cigarettes, the ammonia makes sense as they are all fermented...nevertheless I have never ever smelled strong ammonia on a cigarette before, even with them adding it.

And just because they say it is not added, doesn't mean I believe it. Cig companies have been doing it for decades. Ammonia or an ammonia compound could be included under the "flavor additives" umbrella, perfectly legally I assume. The BAT explanation is a little opaque too....no ammonia won't raise the pH of smoke, but you can bet that it would of a moist product like snus. An no it won't increase nic absorption, but it will contribute to high pH, which like the sodium carbonate, releases nicotine from the tobacco, making more nic available, so we can freebase our nic, inhaled or absorbed.

I did see that salmiak too. It's in Onyx as well. I wonder if they are adding actual small bits of the licorice or just the ammonium chloride??

Anyway, none of this explains why some snus regularly smells strongly of ammonia, and some does not.....there must be a solid explanation. The age doesn't seem likely to me...I just bought a can last week that was 1 week away from expiration and it smelled horrible, way more ammonia that others that were 5 months away from exp.

[justintempler]

Now maybe the heating during pasteurization has a similar effect of ammonia release, kind of like an accelerated fermentation. ..

Bingo!

It's a forced aging process. Instead of using bacteria, it's a chemical process with salt being used as a casing material. The term pasteurization is more of a marketing word and is a very small part of what is actually going on. The main process involved is something that is called the Maillard reaction. You can read all about it here:

Google patents - Process for producing moist snuff Andrew J. Sensabaugh et al.pdf

A method in which moist snuff is produced, differing radically from the prior art. The tobacco is hogshead-aged for only about two years. Instead of producing snuff taste characteristics through fermentation, the tobacco is cased and chemical reactions, including Maillard reactions, are induced...

Inventors: Andrew J. Sensabaugh, Jr., Ronald L. Parks, Arvol C. Marsh, Jr.
Assignee: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

That still doesn't explain the differences in ammonia levels. For that my guess would be that different varieties of tobacco give off different levels of ammonia. Virginia tobaccos have a high sugar content and they are low in nitrogen and burleys are the other way around (and then there's orientals). Different blends, different cook times, different ingredients...

All those will have a bearing on how much ammonia gets released.

[Snusmun]

Hey that's an interesting patent. It's actually an RJR patent from 1985....Gee, I wonder where they got the idea for that process from?? :roll: Full of good information though. I wonder if swedish match uses a casing step (funny term, reminds me of mushroom production).

So ok, makes a little more sense now about the process in general, and how "pasteurizing" it wouldn't necessarily prevent ammonia production from the sugar reductions, like Maillard etc. The variation though is still in question. (I wonder how much fertilizers play a role in this).

I wish I could hear an explanation from the lead scientists at swedish match on the ammonia issue :P

Justin you're full of insight and information.....Thanks!

[GoVegan]

As long as it's not a worker peeing in the tobacco I'm good!

[Snusmun]

:lol: now that's funny.

[Juxtaposer]

What snus are you talking about? I want some!

[Snusmun]

I believe that's the secret ingredient in Gotlands Yellow.

[Roo]

I have never noticed this ammonia phenomenon with any snus except Offroad/Phantom. I have never been turned off by the smell of any snus except those that taste nasty to me, such as Windex brand I mean Phantom Blue, Icefruit, etc. I know this contributes nothing to the discussion, I guess I just wanted to share that I don't understand all the fuss about the way snus smells. Do you taste it too?

[Snusmun]

It's probably the kind of thing that you get used to pretty fast, and then just never notice it much. Since I'm a new snuser, it is particularly noticeable to me....but I've always had a very good sniffer and am hypersensitive to certain smells. This could be one of them, putting me in the minority. And yeah, I can taste it too for a while, but only in the ones that are strong with the smell.

[LaZeR]

As long as it's not a worker peeing in the tobacco I'm good!

I never thought of this angle.