Removal of Protein from Tobacco Extract with Bentonite

The protein in tobacco imparts negative effect to the taste of tobacco and tobacco products.In order to improve the sensory quality of paper-making process reconstituted tobacco,bentonite was used to remove protein from tobacco extract during processing,and the effects of bentonite addition rate,tobacco extract pH,treatment temperature and time on the removal of protein were investigated.The sensory quality of resultant reconstituted tobacco samples was evaluated as well.The results showed that:1) The removal of protein from tobacco extract was significantly influenced by bentonite addition rate,tobacco extract pH and temperature,while it was slightly affected by treatment time.2) The optimal treatment conditions were bentonite addition rate 8 g/L,pH 4.91,temperature 60℃ for 10 min,under which,the protein content in the extract reduced from 4.55% to 1.36%(decreased by 70.1%).3) After treating with bentonite,the offensive odor and aftertaste of paper-making process reconstituted tobacco improved to a certain extent.