Evaluation of Microwave Expanded Stem Granules Applied in Cigarette

Tobacco stem was expanded by microwave and granulated,and the application of the granules to cigarette filler was experimented and evaluated.The results showed that:1) the granules went smoothly through the cigarette production line;2) with the increase of granules inclusion,the volume weight of cigarette filler decreased,the weight per 100 cigarettes showed the same tendency,sugar/nicotine ratio and nitrogen/nicotine ratio in the filler increased gradually,TPM(total particular matter),moisture content,nicotine,tar and CO deliveries and puff number of the cigarette decreased gradually,the extent of decrease was in the order of TPM>tar>CO>puff number>nicotine>moisture content;3) when the granules inclusion was in the range of 6% to 15%,the sensory quality and taste style of cigarette were not obviously affected,however,when the proportion reached 20%,sensory quality went something down and taste style was influenced to a certain extent.