Analysis of the effect of glycerol addition and heating temperature on the puff-by-puff release of volatile organic compounds from heated tobacco products

This study employed large-volume thermal injection-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LVTI-GC-MS) technique to systematically investigate the effects of glycerol addition and heating temperature on the puff-by-puff release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in aerosols from heated tobacco products (HTPs). The method, which uses a large injection volume of 100 µL, achieves high sensitivity, good stability, and is simple and convenient, thus meeting the requirements for efficient and stable analysis of the release of trace volatile organic compounds. The results showed that: (1) the puff-by-puff release of volatile organic compounds initially increased and then decreased. The lower the boiling point of the components, the earlier the release peak appears. (2) The total release of most volatile organic compounds significantly increased with higher glycerol concentrations, and the growth rate exceeded that of glycerol itself. The release of some components stabilized when the glycerol addition ratio reached 20%. (3) The release trends of volatile organic compounds compared to glycerol showed significant differences. Pyrazines, methyl cyclopentenones, and cyclopentenones exhibited the greatest divergence, while nicotine showed the smallest difference. (4) As glycerol concentration and heating temperature increased, earlier puffs showed more complete release of volatile organic compounds, while the release ratio in the last two puffs significantly decreased, likely due to limitations on the total release. (5) Compared to high-boiling components, low-boiling components were less stable in terms of puff-by-puff release, and their stability showed a significant negative correlation with glycerol concentration and heating temperature. There were substantial differences in how glycerol addition and heating temperature affected the release and stability of various volatile organic compounds. These findings may help optimize the glycerol content and heating conditions for HTPs.