Inter Press ServiceEcobreves - CUBA: Beneficial Uses of Tobacco https://www.ipsnews.net/2006/06/ecobreves-cuba-beneficial-uses-of-tobacco/ News and Views from the Global South Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:09:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 Ecobreves – CUBA: Beneficial Uses of Tobacco https://www.ipsnews.net/2006/06/ecobreves-cuba-beneficial-uses-of-tobacco/ https://www.ipsnews.net/2006/06/ecobreves-cuba-beneficial-uses-of-tobacco/#respond Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 IPS Correspondents and No author http://ipsnews.net/?p=120431 By IPS Correspondents and - -
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.

Tobacco Leafs -

Tobacco Leafs -

“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.

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