Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/680166
tobaccoasia 61 As a result, it is likely that there will be an increased requirement for analytical testing as manufacturers strive to better understand their products and also satisfy regulatory requirements. Essentra Scientific Services has also seen signifi- cant recent growth in business demands from the e-cigarette market. Initially driven by development and benchmarking activities but also in prepara- tion for the implementation of new EU tobacco regulations, Essentra Scientific Services has set up a completely separate laboratory to test e-cigarette products. This includes a range of industry leading re- search and testing equipment, such as a gas chro- matography (GC) machine with a triple detector system. Used exclusively for e-cigarette testing, the machine enables measurement of multiple analyt- es from a single vaping test. A thermal conductiv- ity detector (TCD) measures the sample for water, while a second detector analyses it for propylene glycol and glycerol, and also measures the nicotine level. The third detector uses mass selective de- tection to analyze the sample for diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, and other potential contami- nants in e-cigarette vapor. Testing for a compre- hensive range of compounds can also be carried out, or bespoke methods developed on request. One issue that does still remain for the e-ciga- rette market is that there is not an agreed method of testing for the regulation. For example cigarette products in Europe have the 10-1-10 limit for tar, nicotine, and carbon-monoxide – most countries will adhere to 10-1-10 as measured according to the ISO standards related to cigarette smoking. The lit cigarette industry has benefited from decades of investment in research and develop- Essentra's Scientific Services team hard at work ment, which has helped to improve raw mate- rial and product quality whilst also automating production. E-cigarettes are still predominantly hand-made and machine development for their production is in its relative infancy. This, along with the variability of voltage/resistance devices and button-operated devices leads to issues with maintaining consistency from device-to-device and standardising e-cigarettes as a whole. Without the equivalent standard product regulations for e- cigarette production and emissions, it will be dif- ficult to implement regulations. Despite the pressures on the tobacco market, the requirement for regulatory testing is growing and is likely to continue to grow. If the obligation to provide enhanced reporting on additives in both combustibles and e-cigarettes is implemented, Essentra's equipment and testing methods make for a more efficient and cost-effective solution. Essentra Scientific Services enables Essentra to not only to support its own product offering, but also to meet customers' increasing need for reli- able analytical and commercial testing, combined with expert guidance and innovative product solu- tions. We will continue to see further regulation in both the combustibles and e-cigarettes markets, which is likely increase the need for new testing methods and requirements. Whilst this makes both the products and market place potentially more complex, one way for manufacturers to re- duce this complexity is to work with testing labo- ratories such as Essentra Scientific Services. www.essentrafilters.com