Optimizing Nicotine Extraction and Analysis Method from Tobacco Agrowaste Extract

¹ Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Surabaya, Surabaya 60293, East Java, Indonesia
² Department of Oriental Medicinal Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, College of Life Science, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea

^* Corresponding author: sukwee@staff.ubaya.ac.id

Abstract

Tobacco cultivation is prevalent in Indonesia and contributes significantly to the economy. However, it has negative impacts on social, health, and environmental conditions. The tobacco waste generated is classified as pre-harvest and post-harvest waste, which can be utilized to extract nicotine and recycle essential nutrients. Nicotine has various biological activities and potential health benefits. The extraction of nicotine from tobacco waste is a pressing issue to provide a valuable resource for various industries and reduce the environmental harm caused by burning tobacco waste. The study optimized the HPLC conditions for the detection of nicotine, including the mobile phase composition and flow rate, using a UV detector and a C18 column. The optimal eluent composition was Acetate Buffer: Methanol: Acetonitrile with a ratio of 30:50:20, and the optimal flow rate was 0.2 mL min^-1. Additionally, it was found that the nicotine content of tobacco stem samples was higher than that of tobacco dust samples. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the extraction and analysis of nicotine in tobacco samples using HPLC, which can have important implications on developing sustainable tobacco production practices to minimize the negative impacts of tobacco cultivation on social, health, and environmental conditions.