Analysing Cigarette Filters to Detect Fakes

A team from the Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology at Panjab University, India, claims to have conducted the first study of its kind to analyse cigarette filters using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in combination with statistical models.

ATR (attenuated total reflectance) is the most widely used sampling methodology for FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, a technique used to produce an infrared spectrum of a sample.

In the journal Forensic Chemistry, Akanksha Sharma and Vishal Sharma write that the approach can be used to distinguish between brands of cigarettes without destroying the sample, as well as to distinguish genuine products from fakes.

The researchers collected 71 samples of filtered cigarettes in pristine condition from local vendors in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh and extracted fibres for analysis, which were then compared to non-cigarette fibre samples.

ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was able to differentiate between cigarette filters and non-cigarette fibres with 100% accuracy, as well as between brands, by observing peak patterns in the resulting spectra.

The researchers subsequently tested the approach in a real-world simulation using smoked genuine samples, and were able to demonstrate that, in five out of six cases, the samples could be identified when cross-referenced with spectra from an original sample.

While the conclusion of the study was that, using the ATR-FTIR approach, a cigarette filter could be used as evidence to identify legitimate brands, the researchers have not yet specifically tested the technique on counterfeit cigarettes.

Furthermore, the problem still remains of illicit producers being easily able to get their hands on cellulose acetate, used for cigarette filters, as well as other raw materials unique to cigarette production such as cigarette paper, given that there are no systems in place for the global monitoring and tracking of such materials.