Prune Juice
Concentrate
Prunes are ripe
plums that are dried. Concentrated prune juice is extracted from softened
prunes. As a fruit extract, prune juice concentrate is very rich in sugars and
is therefore naturally sweet.
General
uses
Prune juice
concentrate has many uses in the food industry, e.g. as a sweetener, colour and
flavour enhancer, a binding agent in cereal bars, and also as a ‘humectant’ to
help keep cakes and cookies moist.
Reported
tobacco industry uses
Prune juice
concentrate (along with other extracts from either the plum or prune) is
reportedly used by tobacco manufacturers to add flavour to the tobacco at
different stages of manufacturing. Prune juice concentrate can make up to about
0.5% of the total weight of the tobacco used in one cigarette.
Harmful
health effects
Prune juice
concentrate, a fruit extract is safe for use in food products. However, this
does not suggest it is safe when inhaled from smoking cigarettes. Studies have
yet to identify the compounds produced from burning prune juice concentrate.
However, the high sugar content of the concentrate suggests it is likely to
behave in a similar way to sugar additives. This could lead to the formation of
chemicals that are well known to cause cancer in humans such as polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, and those thought to possibly cause cancer such as
acetaldehyde. These compounds have been classified by the International Agency
for Research on Cancer (a leading expert cancer organisation). Other toxic
compounds that irritate the airways are also formed (e.g. acrolein or
2-furfural).
The sugars also
produce acidic compounds, which make it harder for the nicotine in the cigarette
smoke to reach the brain. This forces smokers to inhale deeper and to also
consume more cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. Furthermore, the use of prune
juice concentrate may be indirectly harmful due to the formation of compounds
called aldehydes (e.g. acetaldehyde), which can make cigarettes more addictive
by enhancing the addictive potential of nicotine. Aldehydes are very reactive
and produce compounds such as the substance harman, which can also enhance
addictiveness due to its mood-enhancing effect on the brain.
Prune juice
concentrate is used to smoothen and mildly sweeten the smoke. It imparts a sweet
taste making the smoke more palatable. The high sugar content of the concentrate
provides caramel flavours when burnt that enhance the flavour and attractiveness
of smoking. By adding prune juice concentrate to improve the taste of the
tobacco, the bitter taste of the smoke is sufficiently masked. Also, the sweet
caramel flavours appeals to young people, which can make it easier for them to
start smoking.
Prune juice
concentrate may also be indirectly harmful by making smoking more pleasurable.
This encourages the smoking habit, which could ultimately cause smokers to be
exposed to higher levels of the toxic substances in cigarette smoke.
Overall, by adding
more desirable flavours such as prune juice concentrate to cigarettes, tobacco
manufacturers make it easier for smokers to become addicted.
This text of the
factsheet on the tobacco additive prune juice concentrate was written by the
German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ). ou can find the original in English on the
RIVM website http://www.dkfz.de/de/tabakkontrolle
This initiative has
received funding from the European Union in the framework of the Health
Programme.