Browsing by Subject "flavor"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    The Abuse Potential and Appeal of Electronic Cigarettes for Adult Cigarette Smokers
    (2022-05) Gades, Mari
    Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been considered by some public health scientists and by cigarette smokers as a reduced-harm alternative to cigarettes. While switching completely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes is associated with lower levels of tobacco-related toxicants, most of these smokers continue using their cigarettes as dual users. It would be important, therefore, to understand whether and which e-cigarette product characteristics lead to complete switching. The purpose of the current dissertation was to evaluate and compare the abuse potential of e-cigarettes with different product characteristics, as higher abuse potential and appeal are associated with higher uptake and use of a product. Chapter 1 provided a systematic review of 104 studies conducted between 2007 and 2020 on the impacts of e-liquid nicotine concentration and flavor on abuse potential and appeal of e-cigarettes for adult current and former cigarette and e-cigarette users. Chapters 2 and 3 used a secondary analysis of a multi-site 8-week clinical trial of smokers who were not seeking smoking cessation treatment but who were instructed to switch completely to e-cigarettes (Vuse Solo) to determine whether initial subjective responses to e-cigarettes (Chapter 2) and behavioral economic demand of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (Chapter 3) related to the successful substitution of e-cigarettes for cigarettes and the extent of cigarette and e-cigarette use. Chapter 4 utilized these measures to assess the abuse potential and appeal of a nicotine salt pod e-cigarette (Juul) with different e-liquid nicotine concentrations (3% and 5%) and flavors (Virginia Tobacco and Menthol) for adult cigarette smokers. Results from Chapter 1 suggest that higher nicotine concentration and access to a variety of flavors are likely associated with higher abuse potential and appeal of e-cigarettes for adult current and former cigarette and e-cigarette users. Chapter 2 concluded that higher initial subjective responses were related to lower cigarette and higher e-cigarette use 6-8 weeks later, supporting the conclusion from Chapter 1 that higher abuse potential is related to higher uptake and switching behavior. Chapter 3 found that e-cigarette demand was related to future e-cigarette use, but cigarette demand better predicted both e-cigarette use and switching behavior, suggesting either a need to increase the reinforcing efficacy of e-cigarettes or decrease the reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes to increase complete switching. Chapter 4 did not detect differences due to nicotine and/or flavor with regards to subjective responses or behavioral economic demand but did find that these devices reliably decreased withdrawal and cigarette smoking urges, and that menthol smokers overwhelmingly chose menthol over tobacco flavor. Overall, these studies add to the current literature on e-cigarette abuse potential and appeal and add to the discussion surrounding e-cigarette regulation and e-cigarettes as a potential smoking cessation aid.
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    Investigation and Characterization of Flavor to Food Matrix Interactions using Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
    (2016-09) Jilek, Margaret
    Intermolecular interactions between flavor molecules and food matrices are known to influence flavor release. However, the mechanistic interactions themselves remain largely uncharacterized and the dynamics unstudied. The overall goal of this research project is to develop a research platform which can characterize and observe the dynamics of flavor to matrix interactions. Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) was applied to characterize molecular interaction dynamics at the atomic scale in flavored gum matrix model systems. Preferential interactions between flavor compounds (Melonal and ethyl propionate) and model polymers were detected and quantified. Chemical shift perturbances were calculated for Melonal in model matrices providing site-specific information. This methodology studied flavor to matrix interactions in situ, determined if preferential binding behavior exists and indentified which functional groups were involved in the interactions. Next, isotopically enriched model polymer matrices were utilized to assess differences in flavor to matrix interactions as physical properties of the matrix changed. Short molecular weight (MW), long MW and mixtures of the short and long MW matrices were mixed with carbon-13 labeled acetophenone. The interaction dynamics were studied using ssNMR. Acetophenone was shown to be more mobile, and therefore available to release, in mixtures of short and long MW matrices. Acetophenone release profiles also showed greater release from mixed short and long MW matrices. Quantification confirmed greater acetophenone release from blended short and long MW matrices. These effects were overlooked by a traditional thermodynamic based prediction method. Finally, the impact of polymer type and MW on the strength of interactions of a flavor compound was examined. Interactions between acetophenone and model matrices were further characterized by two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) combined with INEPT. These interactions were reported to occur between the aromatic carbons of acetophenone and the hydrocarbon backbone and side chains of D block. The strength of these interactions was affected by MW changes. In summary, the implementation and refinement of ssNMR techniques was able to provide deep insight into the flavor to matrix interactions which govern flavor release. This technology and approach has to ability to make significant gains toward understanding the mechanisms involved in flavor release.
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    A Study of the Volatile Profiles of Several Cheddar-Type Enzyme Modified Cheeses
    (2021-04) Enzenauer, Katherine
    Enzyme modified cheese (EMC) can add a very desirable cheese component to natural cheeses and products made from them. EMCs may be used to increase product uniformity, functionality, and the nutritional content of a food product. EMCs have been used for decades in food products such as snack foods and frozen meals, yet little research has compared the volatile profile across EMCs of a singular cheese type. The aromatic profile of nine Cheddar EMCs was extracted using solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) and was evaluated using a trained panel of seven sniffers, gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In this study, seventy-four unique odor-contributing chemicals were identified among all samples and given intensity ratings. The total number of volatiles per EMC ranged from 22 to 48. Of these, twelve chemicals provided an olfactory stimulus in only one EMC and only two – butyric acid and δ-octalactone – were perceived in all nine EMCs. Free fatty acids (FFA) were the most prevalent (area %) chemical group in all samples except one in which acetoin was most abundant. Six of the nine EMCs contained FFAs in a quantity of over 97% of the total odor-contributing volatiles. Most non-acid odorants were ethyl esters, δ-lactones, and 2-ketones, however, despite their low concentration, panelists labeled either γ-decalactone or γ-dodecalactone as one of the most intense non-acid odorants in eight of nine EMCs. Through the understanding of the variations in the aromatic profiles of nine different Cheddar-type EMCs, product formulation can be improved increase to meet a customer’s or a consumer’s needs faster and more thoroughly.