Application of Steam Blasting Technology to Tobacco Stem Processing

In order to improve the utilization of tobacco stem, steam blasting experiment was conducted by sampling at each step in cut stem processing. The changes of lignocellulose content in cut stem before and after blasting were compared, and the effects of steam-blasted stem inclusion on the sensory quality of cigarette were investigated. The results showed that:1) the original cut stem processing line had no obvious effect on the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in stem, while which were significantly reduced by steam blasting. Particularly, the hemicelluloses, which reduced by 49.5% after stem cutting. The contents of cellulose and lignin decreased by 26.5% (after stem moistening) and 26.0% (after flashing steaming), respectively. 2) The sensory quality of cigarette samples was maintained pretty well when the addition rate of steam-blasted cut stem increased from 5% to 30%.