Nicotiana tabacum

Last updated

Nicotiana tabacum
Tabak P9290021.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Nicotiana
Species:
N. tabacum
Binomial name
Nicotiana tabacum
L.

Nicotiana tabacum, or cultivated tobacco, is an annually grown herbaceous plant of the genus Nicotiana . N. tabacum is the most commonly grown species in the genus Nicotiana, as the plant's leaves are commercially harvested to be processed into tobacco for human use. The plant is tropical in origin, is commonly grown throughout the world, and is often found in cultivation. It grows to heights between 1 to 2 metres (3.3 to 6.6 ft). Research is ongoing into its ancestry among wild Nicotiana species, but it is believed to be a hybrid of Nicotiana sylvestris , N. tomentosiformis , and possibly N. otophora . [1]

Contents

Description

It is an annual plant that grows 1 to 3 metres (3 to 10 feet) high and is sticky hairy on all parts. The stems are thick and not very branched. The leaves can be over 50 centimetres (1 ft 8 in) long with the blades ovate to elliptical, or obovate, pointed towards the front and, at the base, run down the stem or are sessile, encompassing the stem.[ citation needed ]

The scented inflorescences are multi-branched panicles. The flower stalks are 5 to 15 millimetres (3⁄16 to 9⁄16 in) long. The calyx is 12 to 18 millimetres (1⁄2 to 11⁄16 in) and is covered with uneven 4 to 8 mm (3⁄16 to 5⁄16 in) narrow pointed calyx lobes shorter than the calyx tube. The crown is plate-shaped, the coronet is white, pink or red, the corolla tube greenish-cream, pink or red. The corolla tube has a total length of 3.5 to 4.5 cm (1+3⁄8 to 1+3⁄4 in) and is 3 to 5 mm (1⁄8 to 3⁄16 in) wide in the lower part and widens to 7 to 12 mm (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in) in the upper part. The coronet is lobed or pentagonal. The stamens are designed unevenly and start below the center of the corolla tube. The anthers of the four longer stamens are close to the opening of the corolla tube or are slightly above it. The fifth stamen is significantly shorter than both longer pairs. The stamens have a length of 2.5 to 3.5 cm (1 to 1+3⁄8 in), significantly longer than the anthers, and are hairy at the base.[ citation needed ]

The fruit is a 1.5 to 2 cm (9⁄16 to 13⁄16 in) long capsule that is narrowly elliptical to egg-shaped. It can stand out over the calyx or be enclosed by it. The seeds are spherical or broadly elliptical and are up to 0.5 mm (1⁄64 in) long with a wavy networked surface.

Almost every part of the plant except the seed contains nicotine, but the concentration is related to different factors such as species, type of land, culture and weather conditions. The concentration of nicotine increases with the age of the plant. Tobacco leaves contain 2 to 8% nicotine combined as malate or citrate. The distribution of the nicotine in the mature plant is widely variable: 64% of the total nicotine exists in the leaves, 18% in the stem, 13% in the root, and 5% in the flowers.[ citation needed ]

Phytochemistry

Natural tobacco polysaccharides, including cellulose, have been shown to be the primary precursors of acetaldehyde in tobacco smoke. [2] The main polyphenols contained in the tobacco leaf are rutin and chlorogenic acid. Amino acids contained include glutamic acids, asparagine, glutamine, and γ-Aminobutyric acid [3]

Pyridine alkaloids are present in tobacco as free bases and salts. Nicotine accounts for 90–95% of the plant's pyridines with nornicotine and anatabine accounting for roughly 2.5% each. [4] Pyridyl functional groups present in minute amounts include anabasine, myosmine, cotinine and 2, 3′-bipyridyl. [5] Indole alkaloids are also present in leaves and stems which includes harmala alkaloids as well. Yohimbine, harmine, harmaline and ajmalicine occurs in descending order, yohimbine being highest. [6]

The tobacco plant readily absorbs heavy metals from the surrounding soil and accumulates them in its leaves. These are readily absorbed into the user's body following smoke inhalation. [7]

Tobacco also contains the following phytochemicals: glucosides (tabacinine, tabacine), 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, 2-methylquinone, 2-napthylamine, propionic acid, anthalin, anethole, acrolein, cembrene, choline, nicotelline, nicotianine, and pyrene. [8]

Megastigmatrienone

Tobacco aroma is due to presence of different volatile compounds; megastigmatrienone being the key flavor compound in tobacco. [9] [10] Megastigmatrienone is used as flavour in tobacco products as well. [11]

Megastigmatrienone, a cyclohexenone, [12] and a carotenoid-derived aromatic compound, produces spice notes associated with wine. [9] [13] [14] [15]

Megastigmatrienone is a metabolite of Brewer's yeast. [12]

Megastigmatrienone, as Tabanone, is manufactured by Symrise as a perfume ingredient. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Habitat and ecology

N. tabacum is a native of tropical and subtropical America, also appearing as a weed.[ citation needed ]

N. tabacum is sensitive to temperature, air, ground humidity and the type of land. Temperatures of 20–30 °C (68–86 °F) are best for adequate growth; an atmospheric humidity of 80 to 85% and soil without a high level of nitrogen are also optimal.

Parasites

The potato tuber moth ( Phthorimaea operculella ) is an oligophagous insect that prefers to feed on plants of the family Solanaceae such as tobacco plants. Female P. operculella use the leaves to lay their eggs and the hatched larvae will eat away at the mesophyll of the leaf. [20]

Uses

The plant is native to the Caribbean, where the Taíno people were the first recorded peoples to use it and cultivate it. In 1560, Jean Nicot de Villemain, then French ambassador to Portugal, brought tobacco seeds and leaves as a "wonder drug" to the French court. In 1586 the botanist Jaques Dalechamps gave the plant the name of Herba nicotiana, which was also adopted by Linné. It was considered a decorative plant at first, then a panacea, before it became a common snuff and tobacco plant.[ citation needed ]

Tobacco arrived in Africa at the beginning of the 17th century. The leaf extract was a popular pest control method up to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1851, the Belgian chemist Jean Stas documented the use of tobacco extract as a murder poison. The Belgian count Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé had poisoned his brother-in-law with tobacco leaf extract in order to acquire some urgently needed money. This was the first exact proof of alkaloids in forensic medicine. [21]

It is now commercially cultivated worldwide. All parts of the plant contain nicotine, which can be extracted and used as an insecticide. The dried leaves can also be used; they remain effective for 6 months after drying. The juice of the leaves can be rubbed on the body as an insect repellent. The leaves can be dried and chewed as an intoxicant. The dried leaves are also used as snuff or are smoked. This is the main species that is used to make cigarettes, cigars, and other products. A drying oil is obtained from the seed.[ citation needed ]

Other varieties are cultivated as ornamental plants.

Curing and aging

Dried tobacco at the North Carolina State Fair Dried tobacco at the North Carolina State Fair.jpg
Dried tobacco at the North Carolina State Fair

After tobacco is harvested, it is cured (dried), and then aged to improve its flavor. There are four common methods of curing tobacco: air curing, fire curing, flue curing, and sun curing. The curing method used depends on the type of tobacco and its intended use. Air-cured tobacco is sheltered from wind and sun in a well-ventilated barn, where it air dries for six to eight weeks. Air-cured tobacco is low in sugar, which gives the tobacco smoke a light, sweet flavour, and high in nicotine. Cigar and burley tobaccos are air cured.[ citation needed ]

In fire curing, smoke from a low-burning fire on the barn floor permeates the leaves. This gives the leaves a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor. Fire curing takes three to ten weeks and produces a tobacco low in sugar and high in nicotine. Pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff are fire cured.[ citation needed ]

Flue-cured tobacco is kept in an enclosed barn heated by flues (pipes) of hot air, but the tobacco is not directly exposed to smoke. This method produces cigarette tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to high levels of nicotine. It is the fastest method of curing, requiring about a week. Virginia tobacco that has been flue cured is also called bright tobacco, because flue curing turns its leaves gold, orange, or yellow.[ citation needed ]

Sun-cured tobacco dries uncovered in the sun. This method is used in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries to produce oriental tobacco. Sun-cured tobacco is low in sugar and nicotine and is used in cigarettes.[ citation needed ]

Once the tobacco is cured, workers tie it into small bundles of about 20 leaves, called hands, or use a machine to make large blocks, called bales. The hands or bales are aged for one to three years to improve flavor and reduce bitterness.[ citation needed ]

Ethnomedicinal uses

The regions that have histories of use of the plant include:[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobacco</span> Agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana

Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus Nicotiana of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chief commercial crop is N. tabacum. The more potent variant N. rustica is also used in some countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicotine</span> Chemical stimulant produced by some plants

Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants and is widely used recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As a pharmaceutical drug, it is used for smoking cessation to relieve withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine acts as a receptor agonist at most nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), except at two nicotinic receptor subunits where it acts as a receptor antagonist.

<i>Nicotiana</i> Genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae

Nicotiana is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs in the family Solanaceae, that is indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various Nicotiana species, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. N. tabacum is grown worldwide for the cultivation of tobacco leaves used for manufacturing and producing tobacco products, including cigars, cigarillos, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, and snus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snus</span> Moist tobacco product placed under the upper lip

Snus is a Swedish tobacco product and non-tobacco nicotine product consumed by placing a pouch of powdered tobacco leaves or powdered non-tobacco plant fibers under the lip for nicotine to be absorbed through the oral mucosa. Whereas the nicotine in tobacco-based snus derives from tobacco leaves, the nicotine in non-tobacco snus can be either natural or synthesized.

<i>Nicotiana glauca</i> Species of plant

Nicotiana glauca is a species of flowering plant in the tobacco genus Nicotiana of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is known by the common name tree tobacco. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles, and its leaves and stems are neither pubescent nor sticky like Nicotiana tabacum. It resembles Cestrum parqui but differs in the form of leaves and fusion of the outer floral parts. It grows to heights of more than two meters.

<i>Nicotiana rustica</i> Species of plant

Nicotiana rustica, commonly known as Aztec tobacco or strong tobacco, is a rainforest plant in the family Solanaceae native to South America. It is a very potent variety of tobacco, containing up to nine times more nicotine than common species of Nicotiana such as Nicotiana tabacum. More specifically, N. rustica leaves have a nicotine content as high as 9%, whereas N. tabacum leaves contain about 1 to 3%. The high concentration of nicotine in its leaves makes it useful for producing pesticides, and it has a wide variety of uses specific to cultures around the world. However, N. rustica is no longer cultivated in North America, as N. tabacum has replaced it.

<i>N</i>-Nitrosonornicotine Chemical compound

N-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) is a tobacco-specific nitrosamine produced during the curing and processing of tobacco.

<i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Nicotiana benthamiana, colloquially known as benth or benthi, is a species of Nicotiana indigenous to Australia. It is a close relative of tobacco.

Y1 is a strain of tobacco that was cross-bred by Brown & Williamson to obtain an unusually high nicotine content. It became controversial in the 1990s when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used it as evidence that tobacco companies were intentionally manipulating the nicotine content of cigarettes. Y1 has also been investigated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anabasine</span> Chemical compound

Anabasine is a pyridine and piperidine alkaloid found in the tree tobacco plant, as well as in tree tobacco's close relative the common tobacco plant. It is a structural isomer of, and chemically similar to, nicotine. Its principal (historical) industrial use is as an insecticide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latakia (tobacco)</span> Tobacco product

Latakia tobacco is a sun-dried and smoke-cured tobacco product. It originated in Syria and is named after its major port city of Latakia, though large production has permanently moved to Cyprus due to varying and compounding sociopolitical issues within Syrian borders. It is in the family of fire-cured tobaccos in which the leaves are dried(cured) over burning hard wood. What sets Latakia apart from other fire-cured tobaccos is the use of heavy volumes of smoke from both dried and live material from aromatic woods.

Pituri, also known as mingkulpa, is a mixture of leaves and wood ash traditionally chewed as a stimulant by Aboriginal Australians widely across the continent. Leaves are gathered from any of several species of native tobacco (Nicotiana) or from at least one distinct population of the species Duboisia hopwoodii. Various species of Acacia, Grevillea and Eucalyptus are burned to produce the ash. The term "pituri" may also refer to the plants from which the leaves are gathered or from which the ash is made. Some authors use the term to refer only to the plant Duboisia hopwoodii and its leaves and any chewing mixture containing its leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snuff (tobacco)</span> Smokeless tobacco type

Snuff is a type of smokeless tobacco product made from finely ground or pulverized tobacco leaves. It is snorted or "sniffed" into the nasal cavity, delivering nicotine and a flavored scent to the user. Traditionally, it is sniffed or inhaled lightly after a pinch of snuff is either placed onto the back surface of the hand, held pinched between thumb and index finger, or held by a specially made "snuffing" device.

Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) comprise one of the most important groups of carcinogens in tobacco products, particularly cigarettes and fermented dipping snuff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of tobacco</span>

This article contains a list of tobacco cultivars and varieties, as well as unique preparations of the tobacco leaf involving particular methods of processing the plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curing of tobacco</span> Preparation for smoking or chewing

Tobacco is cured to dry and age it in preparation for human consumption. A byproduct of curing is changing the color of the aged leaf, also known as color curing. Tobacco is cured directly after it is harvested in nearly all instances where it is to be used for smoking or chewing.

<i>Nicotiana attenuata</i> Species of flowering plant

Nicotiana attenuata is a species of wild tobacco known by the common name coyote tobacco. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Texas and northern Mexico, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a glandular and sparsely hairy annual herb exceeding a meter in maximum height. The leaf blades may be 10 centimetres (4 in) long, the lower ones oval and the upper narrower in shape, and are borne on petioles. The inflorescence bears several flowers with pinkish or greenish white tubular throats 2 to 3 centimetres long, their bases enclosed in pointed sepals. The flower face has five mostly white lobes. The fruit is a capsule about 1 centimetre long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nornicotine</span> Chemical compound

Nornicotine is an alkaloid found in various plants including Nicotiana, the tobacco plant. It is chemically similar to nicotine, but does not contain a methyl group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solanaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco

The Solanaceae, or the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals. Many members of the family contain potent alkaloids, and some are highly toxic, but many—including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell, and chili peppers—are used as food. The family belongs to the order Solanales, in the asterid group and class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons). The Solanaceae consists of about 98 genera and some 2,700 species, with a great diversity of habitats, morphology and ecology.

References

  1. ↑ Ren, Nan; Timko, Michael P. (2001). "AFLP analysis of genetic polymorphism and evolutionary relationships among cultivated and wild Nicotiana species". Genome. 44 (4): 559–71. doi:10.1139/gen-44-4-559. PMID   11550889.
  2. ↑ Talhout, R; Opperhuizen, A; van Amsterdam, JG (Oct 2007). "Role of acetaldehyde in tobacco smoke addiction". Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 17 (10): 627–36. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2007.02.013. PMID   17382522. S2CID   25866206.
  3. ↑ Roberts, E.A.H. (1951). "The polyphenols and amino acids of tobacco leaf". Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 33 (2): 299–303. doi:10.1016/0003-9861(51)90109-9. PMID   14886011.
  4. ↑ C. Laszlo, K. Kaminski, H. Guan, M. Fatarova, J. Wei, A. Bergounioux, W. K. Schlage, S. Schorderet-Weber, P. A. Guy, N. V. Ivanov, K. Lamottke and J. Hoeng (Nov 2022). "Fractionation and Extraction Optimization of Potentially Valuable Compounds and Their Profiling in Six Varieties of Two Nicotiana Species", Molecules 2022, 27(22), 8105.
  5. ↑ Zhang, Jianxun; et al. (2007). "Selective Determination of Pyridine Alkaloids in Tobacco by PFTBA Ions/Analyte Molecule Reaction Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry". Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. 18 (10): 1774–1782. doi:10.1016/j.jasms.2007.07.017. PMID   17716908. S2CID   23808750.
  6. ↑ Tarkowská D (July 2020). "A Fast and Reliable UHPLC-MS/MS-Based Method for Screening Selected Pharmacologically Significant Natural Plant Indole Alkaloids". Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) . 25 (14): 3274. doi: 10.3390/molecules25143274 . PMC   7397342 . PMID   32708364.
  7. ↑ Pourkhabbaz, Alireza; Pourkhabbaz, Hamidreza (2012). "Investigation of Toxic Metals in the Tobacco of Different Iranian Cigarette Brands and Related Health Issues". Iran J Basic Med Sci. 15 (1): 636–644. PMC   3586865 . PMID   23493960.
  8. ↑ Zhang, Xiaotao; Wang, Ruoning; Zhang, Li; Ruan, Yibin; Wang, Weiwei; Ji, Houwei; Lin, Fucheng; Liu, Jian (2018). "Simultaneous determination of tobacco minor alkaloids and tobacco-specific nitrosamines in mainstream smoke by dispersive solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography/Tandem orbitrap mass spectrometry". Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 32 (20): 1791–1798. Bibcode:2018RCMS...32.1791Z. doi:10.1002/rcm.8222. PMID   29964303. S2CID   49639753.
  9. 1 2 Slaghenaufi D, Perello MC, Marchand-Marion S, Tempere S, de Revel G (February 2014). "Quantitative solid phase microextraction--gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of five megastigmatrienone isomers in aged wine". Analytica Chimica Acta . 813: 63–9. Bibcode:2014AcAC..813...63S. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2014.01.019. PMID   24528661.
  10. ↑ Slaghenaufi D, Perello MC, Marchand S, de Revel G (July 2016). "Quantification of megastigmatrienone, a potential contributor to tobacco aroma in spirits". Food Chemistry . 203: 41–48. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.02.034. PMID   26948587.
  11. ↑ Krüsemann, Erna JZ; Visser, Wouter F; Cremers, Johannes WJM; Pennings, Jeroen LA; Talhout, Reinskje (2018). "Identification of flavour additives in tobacco products to develop a flavour library". Tobacco Control. 27 (1): 105–111. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-052961. ISSN   0964-4563. PMC   5801651 . PMID   28190004.
  12. 1 2 "Megastigmatrienone (YMDB01739)". Yeast Metabolome Database. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  13. ↑ wikt:megastigmatrienone
  14. ↑ Slaghenaufi, Davide; Perello, Marie-Claire; Marchand, Stéphanie; de Revel, Gilles (July 2016). "Quantification of megastigmatrienone, a potential contributor to tobacco aroma in spirits". Food Chemistry. 203: 41–48. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.02.034. PMID   26948587 . Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "MEGASTIGMATRIENONE A". Inxight Drugs. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences . Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Tabanon". Ingredient Finder. symrise.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Tabanon" (PDF). Symrise. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  18. ↑ "Megastigmatrienone (Tabanone)". SincoPharmachem. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  19. ↑ Wiedemann, Joern; Kaufhold, Astrid (20 August 2013). "US8513180B2 Ethanol-free perfume oil microemulsion". google patents. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Varela, L. G.; Bernays, E. A. (1988-07-01). "Behavior of newly hatched potato tuber moth larvae, Phthorimaea operculella Zell. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), in relation to their host plants". Journal of Insect Behavior. 1 (3): 261–275. Bibcode:1988JIBeh...1..261V. doi:10.1007/BF01054525. ISSN   0892-7553. S2CID   19062069.
  21. ↑ Wennig, Robert (2009). "Back to the roots of modern analytical toxicology: Jean Servais Stas and the Bocarmé murder case". Drug Testing and Analysis. 1 (4): 153–5. doi:10.1002/dta.32. PMID   20355192. S2CID   42750864.
  22. ↑ Groark, Kevin P. (2010). "The Angel in the Gourd: Ritual, Therapeutic, and Protective Uses of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Among the Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya of Chiapas, Mexico". Journal of Ethnobiology. 30 (1): 5–30. doi:10.2993/0278-0771-30.1.5. S2CID   86134500.
  23. ↑ Maroyi, Alfred (2012). "Garden Plants in Zimbabwe: Their ethnomedicinal uses and reported toxicity". Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 10 (1): 54. doi: 10.17348/era.10.0.045-057 . hdl: 10125/23547 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.