Polyphenols in tobacco are known precursors for bioactive phenolic compounds in cigarette smoke. Electrodialysis has been tested as a means of selectively extracting polyphenols from aqueous tobacco extracts. Seven commercial membranes were tested in an electromigration configuration. This exploratory study showed the potential application of AM-2 and AM-4 membranes for the migration of polyphenols. During 3-h trials with a single membrane in an electrodialysis cell, both AM-2 and AM-4 membranes achieved a 77% demineralization rate. The migration rates for the AM-2 and AM-4 membranes were for chlorogenic acid 24.7 and 28.7%, respectively, for scopoletin 8.6 and 18.8%, and for rutin -10.3 and 10.3%. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.