Physical and chemical characteristics of water pipe tobaccos

The aim of the study is to determine the main physical and chemical characteristics of water pipe (hookah) tobacco mixtures sold on the Bulgarian market. The regarded type of tobacco product focuses researchers’ interest due to its specific composition, consumption qualities and increasing popularity, especially among younger people, but the available information on the composition and indicators of hookah tobaccos in Bulgaria is too limited. The content of tobacco shreds (from 31.11% to 77.41%) and moisture (30-40%) in the hookah mixtures were analyzed, as well as the main chemical indicators of tobacco and smoke – total reducing sugars, ash, nicotine, total and dry particulate matter, etc. The nicotine content in three of the five samples tested was extremely low – below 0.12%. The amounts of total particulate matter, TPM (from 377.36 to 427.85 mg/g of burnt tobacco) and dry particulate matter, DPM (from 56.34 to 128.20 mg/g of burnt tobacco) were higher than those in cigarette smoke. The obtained results expand the knowledge about this non-traditional for Bulgaria, but increasingly popular tobacco product.