Effects of Potassium Carbonate Addition on Aroma Component Content in Cut Tobacco Through Drying

In order to investigate the effects of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) addition on the volatile and semi-volatile aroma component content in cut tobacco, cut tobacco drying was simulated in a laboratory, K₂CO₃ solution was uniformly sprayed on tobacco at levels of 0.5%, 0.9%, 1.3%, 1.7%, and 2.1% (w/w) separately. After equilibrium for 48 hours, tobacco was dried at the set conditions (temperature 110℃, air velocity 1.57 m/sec and rotating speed 12 r/min) to moisture content of 12%-13%, then extracted with tert-butyl methyl ether and determined by GC/MS. The results showed that: 1) the appearance of tobacco was significantly affected by K₂CO₃, some cut tobacco turned black when the addition rate of K₂CO₃ exceeded 1.3% (w/w). 2) K₂CO₃ addition decreased the contents of esters and organic acids in tobacco regularly, increased the contents of alcohols and megastigmatrienones.