Nicotine and cotinine in edible nightshades

The aim of this project is the determination of nicotine and cotinine (the main metabolite of nicotine) concentrations in edible nightshades. For this purpose, a sample preparation technique had to be developed to achieve selective extraction of the analyte out of plant material. Nicotine and cotinine concentrations are not only investigated in fresh fruits and vegetables, but also in commercially available processed products originating from these plants.