Nicotine pouches, or white pouches, are oral tobacco products that contain tobacco derived nicotine, but not tobacco leaf. As at October 2020, there were no standardized methods available for the analysis of nicotine pouches even though there are regulatory reporting requirements.

A collaborative study was therefore carried out with the intent to update the scopes of the applicable CORESTA Recommended Methods (CRMs) to also include nicotine pouches and to provide repeatability (r) and reproducibility (R) results and z-scores to support laboratory accreditation.

The results of the study demonstrated that the CRMs for the determination of nicotine, pH, moisture (oven volatiles), tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), water activity, metals, carbonyls, and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) were suitable for the analysis of nicotine pouches and it was recommended that the eight CRMs be updated to include nicotine pouches.