Qiwam: A Potential Carcinogenic Smokeless Tobacco Product Consumed With Paan

Background: Qiwam (Kimam) is a liquid tobacco preparation consumed with paan. It is mostly consumed in southeast Asian region. Evidences suggest that it causes potentially malignant disorders (PMD), oral cancer (OC) and decreases sperm count. Qiwam was mentioned in earlier research publications, however details are not known. It is produced for self-consumption as well as for commercial purpose. Aim: To study in detail the ingredients and processing steps involved in the production of Qiwam. In addition, also study the adverse health implication of this smokeless tobacco product on humans. Methods: The information on qiwam was collected via literature search study, study tour to different geographical areas of India, where group discussions with the people involved in the production of qiwam, paan vendors and with community members of different age group were done. Results: Qiwam is prepared by the user for his/her own consumption or by industry for sale. Tobacco leaves and tobacco roots are boiled for several hours then soaked in water flavored with varied spices and additives. The resultant mixture is mashed, strained, and finally dried into a thick paste. It is consumed mostly with paan. Conclusion: Processing of qiwam is a complex and time taking process which involves various steps and components that may influence the carcinogenic property of the product. The different processing steps gives different taste and texture to the product. Qiwam increases the risk of cancer and hence needs to be banned or better avoided.

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Biochemical Profiling of Smokeless Tobacco Product Kiwam at Different Processing Steps

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.79602 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 197s-197s

Author(s):

A. Chandra ◽

V. Sharma ◽

A. Nandan ◽

R. Kaushik ◽

R. Mehrotra

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Product ◽

Biochemical Changes ◽

Chemical Profiling ◽

Carcinogenic Property ◽

Processing Step ◽

Smokeless Tobacco Product ◽

Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines ◽

Processing Steps ◽

Millipore Water ◽

Detailed Chemical

Introduction: Kiwam (qiwam) is a partially fermented tobacco product consumed with betel quid (paan). The major constituents of this product are tobacco, saffron (zaffrani) and some other additives. It contains tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) which is considered as a cancer causing agent. To elucidate the carcinogenic property of kiwam, biochemical profiling of its constituents at different stages of processing is needed. The major processing steps involved in the formation of kiwam and biochemical profiling/changes at each processing step is still unknown. Aim: To describe the major processing steps and biochemical changes that occur at each processing step during the preparation of kiwam. Methods: Tobacco leaves and stems were washed with Millipore water so as to remove the dirt particles from the leaves and stems. It is then boiled in water followed by filtering of the constituents to remove the leaves and stem residues. The filtrate was again boiled to form a thick paste residue. The resultant paste was partially fermented through sun curing, and lastly, saffron along with specific additives was added. The samples from each step were analyzed for biochemical profiling through Continuous Flow Autoanalyzer using Flow View Solution 3700 Analyzer (version 1.2.2) software. Results: The biochemical changes at TSNA levels were observed at each processing steps. The detailed chemical profiling will be presented during the meeting. Conclusion: Kiwam is rich in TSNA and hence its use should be avoided.

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Biochemical profiling of smokeless tobacco product Kiwam at different processing steps

Tobacco Induced Diseases ◽

10.18332/tid/95190 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Ravi Mehrotra ◽

Anshika Chandra ◽

Vishwas Sharma ◽

Amrita Nandan ◽

Ravi Kaushik

Keyword(s):

Smokeless Tobacco ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Smokeless Tobacco Product ◽

Processing Steps

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An exploration of smokeless tobacco product nucleic acids: a combined metagenome and metatranscriptome analysis

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ◽

10.1007/s00253-019-10232-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 751-763

Author(s):

R. E. Tyx ◽

A. J. Rivera ◽

L. M. Keong ◽

S. B. Stanfill

Keyword(s):

Smokeless Tobacco ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Health Concern ◽

Single Product ◽

Virus Rna ◽

Smokeless Tobacco Product ◽

Viable Bacteria ◽

Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines ◽

Bacterial Constituents

AbstractSmokeless tobacco (ST) products are used worldwide and are a major public health concern. In addition to harmful chemicals found in these products, microbes found in ST products are believed to be responsible for generating harmful tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), the most abundant carcinogens in ST. These microbes also contribute endotoxins and other pro-inflammatory components. A greater understanding of the microbial constituents in these products is sought in order to potentially link select design aspects or manufacturing processes to avoidable increases in harmful constituents. Previous studies looked primarily at bacterial constituents and had not differentiated between viable vs nonviable organisms, so in this study, we sought to use a dual metatranscriptomic and metagenomic analysis to see if differences exist. Using high-throughput sequencing, we observed that there were differences in taxonomic abundances between the metagenome and metatranscriptome, and in the metatranscriptome, we also observed an abundance of plant virus RNA not previously reported in DNA-only studies. We also found in the product tested, that there were no viable bacteria capable of metabolizing nitrate to nitrite. Therefore, the product tested would not be likely to increase TSNAs during shelf storage. We tested only a single product to date using the strategy presented here, but succeeded in demonstrating the value of using of these methods in tobacco products. These results present novel findings from the first combined metagenome and metatranscriptome of a commercial tobacco product.

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