Nature one of the world’s oldest and most renowned scientific journals scientifically validates Végétol® innovation!
Article written by Guillaume Bailly, Vaping Post.
In a scientific study initiated by Laboratoires Xérès, a team of researchers looked into 1,3 propanediol or also called Végétol® in the world of the vape, used as a substitute for propylene glycol. The results, published in the scientific journal Nature, show that the product is safe and offers, in some cases, benefits.
Nicotine delivery
The currently most common elements in e-liquids are propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG), which serve, in different proportions, as a base for the e-liquid, to which nicotine and flavors are added. Possible substitutes for PG and / or LV are regularly studied, for various reasons ranging from rare cases of allergies to the optimization of nicotine diffusion.
Among the products mentioned, 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) of plant origin is a serious candidate for the substitution of one or both of these products. It can already be found in e-liquids (Natural Végétol® e-liquid ranges propylene glycol free, aroma free and vegetal glycerin free from Laboratoires Xérès).
So far, few studies have focused on 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®). This is what researchers public institutes and laboratories, the University of Poitiers and the Ecole des Mines de Saint-Étienne do in a very comprehensive study and whose results published in Nature are encouraging.
Methodology of the study
The liquids were subjected to differential thermal analyzes, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, analytical pyrolysis, determination of glycol-flavor interactions by a computational thermodynamic method, among other advanced tests.
Test results
In the vaporization test, it was found that the vaporisation of PG-VG at high temperature was in the form of a residue of 3% mass vaporized, is it a chemical interaction with PG and VG to high temperature, about 300 degrees. This thermal peak is absent from the 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) – VG formulation, which indicates the absence of chemical interaction and, in fact, better thermal stability.
In other words, mixing 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) with vegetable glycerin and heating the mixture at high temperature does not cause the appearance by chemical reaction of new compounds.
Regarding the stabilization of nicotine in its native form, that is to say the most easily vaporizable, the PG-VG-nicotine mixture has a pH of 8, close to neutrality. The 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®)– VG nicotine solution displays a pH of 10, which is much more basic.
Since absorption by the body of inhaled nicotine is related to its optimal vaporization, 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) is found to give better results for nicotine delivery than PG.
The special case of aromas
The release of aromatics in 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) was compared to PG and VG using a high thermodynamic model. Comparing the results gives a mixed podium.
Vegetal glycerin is the worst solvent for the recovery of aromas, unambiguously: the results place it behind the PG and 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) in all cases, often quite far.
1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) shows better results on the most common flavors on the market, with two exceptions, limonene and menthol. Simply put, for liquids in which the aroma of lemon or mint (with all its derivatives, eucalyptus etc.) predominates, the PG is a better aromatic carrier, in all other cases, fruity, greedy, tobacco , 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) will restore better flavors.
Conclusions
The results of this study highlight some interesting elements. 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) is more stable at high temperatures than propylene glycol. The bioavailability of nicotine in 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) is also better than in PG, which could offer an alternative, for example, to those seeking fast satisfaction while maintaining a throat hit, unlike nicotine salts.
1,3 propanediol (Végétol®), finally, proves to be a better carrier of aromatic flavors than PG, except for menthol and citrus flavors. In all cases, it is better than vegetable glycerin. Here again, it can offer an interesting alternative to consumers who are intolerant to PG.
On the vaporization, 1,3 propanediol (Végétol®) requires a little more power than the PG to be vaporized, but in proportions not detectable for the average user, of the order of less than one watt a priori.
Article written by Guillaume Bailly, Vaping Post.
The original article by Guillaume Bailly – © Vaping Post – Guillaume Bailly
The integral study of the prestigious scientific journal Nature – © Nature
