Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – CUBA: Beneficial Uses of Tobacco

HAVANA, Jun 24 2006 (IPS) - Cuban scientists announced they are studying the extraction of solanesol from tobacco plants, in a search for additional benefits to the island's famous industry of hand-rolled cigars. The extract is the precursor of an antioxidant with anti-carcinogen properties.

“We are working to achieve a competitive technology for obtaining solanesol, a chemical compound from tobacco that is used as a precursor to coenzyme Q10,” Daniel García, with the Havana Center for Chemical Pharmaceuticals, the entity responsible for the study, told Tierramérica.

Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from free-radicals, which are seen as responsible for the effects of aging, and is also used in cancer-fighting treatments, among other uses.

According to official sources, a kilogram of solanesol can fetch 500 dollars on the world market, and the price of the coenzyme Q10 can be even higher.