Fermentation method for improving quality of cigar tobacco leaves

Abstract

The invention discloses a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves. The fermentation method comprises the following steps: S1, spraying a sugar solution on the surfaces of the aired cigar tobacco leaves; s2, after the tobacco leaves fully absorb the sugar solution, spraying an enzyme solution on the surfaces of the cigar tobacco leaves; s3, after the tobacco leaves fully absorb the enzyme solution, the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked, sealed and fermented; s4, the oxygen concentration in the fermentation environment is controlled to be 40%-60% through an oxygen generator in the fermentation process, the application time is 0.5-2 hours every day, the moisture of the tobacco leaves is controlled to be 20%-30%, and the fermentation period is 1-2 months; accumulation and conversion of aroma precursors are promoted by spraying a sugar solution and an enzyme solution; better fermentation conditions are created by controlling the fermentation environment. The method has the advantages that accumulation of aroma precursors in the cigar tobacco leaves is improved, the amount of aroma in smoke is increased, and the quality and taste of the tobacco leaves are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, and belongs to the technical field of cigar tobacco leaf fermentation. Background Art

[0002] Cigars, as a tobacco product with unique fragrance and cultural attributes, are a special whole-leaf rolled tobacco product formed by drying, fermentation, and aging. They have rich aroma, full body, and strong flavor. In recent years, they have been booming at home and abroad. Fermentation is a key production link for cigar tobacco. It can further degrade the macromolecular substances in the tobacco leaves and produce aroma precursors, which plays an important role in improving the quality of tobacco leaves and greatly improves the industrial availability of tobacco leaves. The traditional fermentation method mainly improves the quality of tobacco leaves by controlling temperature, humidity, time, and the number of turning piles. This fermentation method leads to the common problems of insufficient accumulation of aroma precursors in cigar tobacco leaves and insufficient aroma in the smoke. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on the above, the present invention provides a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, which has the advantages of increasing the accumulation of aroma precursors in cigar tobacco leaves, enhancing the aroma amount in smoke, and improving the quality and taste of tobacco leaves.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is: a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, comprising the following steps:

[0005] S1 spraying sugar solution on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves;

[0006] S2 After the tobacco leaves fully absorb the sugar solution, the enzyme solution is sprayed on the surface of the cigar tobacco leaves;

[0007] S3 After the tobacco leaves fully absorb the enzyme solution, the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked and sealed for fermentation;

[0008] During fermentation, S4 uses an oxygen generator to control the oxygen concentration in the fermentation environment to 40% to 60%, which is applied for 0.5 to 2 hours a day. The moisture content of the tobacco leaves is controlled at 20 to 30%, and the fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months.

[0009] In order to improve the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, the inventors first considered the accumulation of aroma precursors and the increase in the amount of aroma in the smoke during the fermentation process of cigar tobacco leaves. Through research on the prior art, the inventors found that by spraying sugar solution and enzyme solution on the surface of cigar tobacco leaves after drying, the chemical reaction inside the tobacco leaves can be promoted, thereby improving the aroma and quality of the tobacco leaves. Then, the inventors further proposed a method of stacking and sealing fermentation to ensure the stability of the fermentation environment. Finally, by controlling the oxygen concentration and moisture content, the fermentation process is further optimized, so that the aroma and taste of the tobacco leaves are significantly improved.

[0010] Preferably, the sugar solution is prepared by mixing glucose, fructose and honey in a mass ratio of 0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2 and dissolving in 25-35 times the weight of water, and the spraying amount is 0.5%-5% of the weight of the tobacco leaves. After the glucose, fructose and honey in the sugar solution are mixed in the above proportions, they are evenly sprayed on the surface of the cigar tobacco leaves. Sugar can promote the fermentation of microorganisms, and without affecting other qualities of the tobacco leaves, it can increase the content of tobacco aroma precursors and improve the taste of the smoke.

[0011] Preferably, the enzyme solution is prepared by mixing protease, pectinase and cellulase in a mass ratio of 0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2, and dissolving in 25-35 times the weight of water, and the spraying amount is 0.5%-3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves. Protease can decompose protein, pectinase can decompose pectin, and cellulase can decompose cellulose. These enzymes can effectively decompose macromolecular organic substances in tobacco leaves by cooperating with each other, accelerate the fermentation process, and their degradation products are combined with the applied sugars, thereby significantly improving the aroma, mellowness and overall quality of cigar tobacco leaves.

[0012] Preferably, the cigar tobacco leaves are first wrapped with hemp sheets after being stacked, and then the outer layer is sealed with a sealing material, which can be a plastic sheet, and about 50% of oxygen is supplemented for 0.5 to 2 hours every day. This double-layer wrapping structure design can provide appropriate air permeability during the fermentation process, while ensuring sealing, improving the temperature rise and heat preservation capacity of the tobacco stack, reducing the rapid loss of oxygen, thereby improving the fermentation efficiency and the quality of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves.

[0013] Preferably, the temperature of the tobacco stack turning during fermentation is controlled at 40-50°C. During the fermentation process, temperature is one of the key factors affecting the activity of microorganisms. By controlling the temperature during turning the stack, it can be ensured that the microorganisms carry out metabolic activities in a suitable environment, which can promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms and inhibit the reproduction of harmful microorganisms, thereby helping to improve the fermentation effect. By controlling the temperature of the tobacco stack turning during fermentation at 40-50°C, it can be ensured that the temperature during the fermentation process is maintained within a suitable range, which helps to optimize the fermentation process, promote the improvement of the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, and avoid poor fermentation results due to excessively high or low temperatures.

[0014] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The present invention provides a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves, comprising spraying a sugar solution and an enzyme solution on the surface of the air-dried cigar tobacco leaves, then stacking and sealing the fermentation leaves, and controlling the oxygen concentration, moisture content of the tobacco leaves, and the fermentation cycle during the fermentation process. By spraying the sugar solution and the enzyme solution, the accumulation and conversion of aroma precursors are promoted; by controlling the fermentation environment, better fermentation conditions are created. This method has the advantages of increasing the accumulation of aroma precursors in cigar tobacco leaves, increasing the amount of aroma in smoke, and improving the quality and taste of tobacco leaves.

[0015] In the present invention, the sugar solution is mixed with glucose, fructose and honey in a certain mass ratio, and the spraying amount is 0.5% to 5% of the weight of the tobacco leaves. The enzyme solution is mixed with protease, pectinase and cellulase in a certain mass ratio, and the spraying amount is 0.5% to 3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves. After the sugar solution and the enzyme solution are sprayed on the surface of the cigar tobacco leaves after drying, they can promote the chemical reaction inside the tobacco leaves and improve the aroma and quality of the tobacco leaves. In the prior art, cigar tobacco leaves are usually treated only by simple fermentation methods, which fails to effectively improve the aroma and quality of the tobacco leaves. The present invention solves the problem of improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves through the mutual cooperation of a series of steps. Spraying sugar solution and enzyme solution respectively provide the necessary nutrition and catalysis, and stacking sealed fermentation and controlling oxygen concentration ensure the optimization of the fermentation environment, thereby accelerating the improvement of tobacco leaf quality and solving the problem of improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 Differences in the content of aroma components in tobacco leaves under different fermentation treatments;

[0017] Figure 2 Differences in the contents of aroma components in different types of tobacco leaves under different fermentation treatments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the above-mentioned purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation of the present invention is described in detail below. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific implementation disclosed below.

[0019] Example 1

[0020] A fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves comprises the following steps:

[0021] S1 sprays a sugar solution uniformly on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer. The sugar solution is a mixture of glucose, fructose and honey in a mass ratio of 1:1:1. The sugar is dissolved in 30 times the weight of water. The spraying amount of sugar is 3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves;

[0022] S2 After the tobacco leaves fully absorb (4h) the sugar solution, an enzyme solution is sprayed on the surface of the cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer. The enzyme solution is a mixture of protease, pectinase, and cellulase in a mass ratio of 1:1:1. The enzyme is dissolved in 30 times the weight of water. The amount of enzyme sprayed is 2% of the weight of the tobacco leaves;

[0023] S3 After the tobacco leaves are balanced in the moisture conditioning room to a moisture content of 25% (4h), the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked, first wrapped with hemp sheets, and then sealed with plastic sheets for fermentation;

[0024] During fermentation, S4 uses an oxygen generator to control the oxygen concentration in the fermentation environment to 50%, which is applied for 1 hour every day. The tobacco stack is turned over when the temperature reaches 45°C. The moisture content of the tobacco leaves is controlled at 25%. The fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months, and the fermentation is carried out until the stack temperature is stably below 40°C and no longer rises.

[0025] Comparative Example 1

[0026] A cigar tobacco leaf fermentation method comprises the following steps:

[0027] S1 sprays purified water evenly on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer, and the amount of water sprayed is 3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves;

[0028] S2 After the tobacco leaves are balanced in the moisture conditioning room until the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is 25% (4h), the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked and covered with hemp sheets on the outside;

[0029] S3 turns the stack when the stack temperature reaches 45℃. The fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months, and the fermentation is carried out until the stack temperature is stably below 40℃ and no longer rises.

[0030] Comparative Example 2

[0031] A cigar tobacco fermentation method comprises the following steps:

[0032] S1 sprays a sugar solution uniformly on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer. The sugar solution is a mixture of glucose, fructose and honey in a mass ratio of 1:1:1. The sugar is dissolved in 30 times the weight of water. The spraying amount is 3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves.

[0033] S2 After the tobacco leaves are balanced in the moisture conditioning room until the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is 25% (4h), the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked and covered with hemp sheets on the outside;

[0034] S3 turns the stack when the stack temperature reaches 45℃. The fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months, and the fermentation is carried out until the stack temperature is stably below 40℃ and no longer rises.

[0035] Comparative Example 3

[0036] A cigar tobacco fermentation method comprises the following steps:

[0037] S1 sprays enzyme solution uniformly on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer. The enzyme solution is a mixture of protease, pectinase and cellulase in a mass ratio of 1:1:1. The enzyme is dissolved in 30 times the weight of water. The spraying amount is 2% of the weight of the tobacco leaves;

[0038] S2 After the tobacco leaves are balanced in the moisture conditioning room until the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is 25% (4h), the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked and covered with hemp sheets on the outside;

[0039] S3 turns the stack when the stack temperature reaches 45℃. The fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months, and the fermentation is carried out until the stack temperature is stably below 40℃ and no longer rises.

[0040] Comparative Example 4

[0041] A cigar tobacco fermentation method comprises the following steps:

[0042] S1 sprays purified water evenly on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves through a sprayer, and the amount of water sprayed is 3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves;

[0043] S2 After the tobacco leaves are balanced in the moisture conditioning room until the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is 25% (4h), the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked, first wrapped with hemp sheets, and then sealed with plastic sheets for fermentation;

[0044] During fermentation, S3 uses an oxygen generator to control the oxygen concentration in the fermentation environment to 50%, which is applied for 1 hour every day. The tobacco stack is turned over when the temperature reaches 45°C. The moisture content of the tobacco leaves is controlled at 25%. The fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months, and the fermentation is carried out until the stack temperature is stably below 40°C and no longer rises.

[0045] The experiment was conducted in Tunchang County, Hainan in 2024. The cigar variety tested was Haiyan 204, and the test tobacco leaves were cultivated and managed in accordance with the standardized production of local high-quality tobacco leaves. After the cigar tobacco leaves were air-dried, the local conventional cigar tobacco fermentation method was used as comparative example 1, and only spraying sugar solution, enzyme solution, and oxygenation were used as comparative examples 2, 3, and 4, respectively, and the present invention was used as embodiment 1. After the fermentation was completed, the changes in the content of aroma components of the cigar tobacco leaves were detected and analyzed, and sensory evaluation was performed.

[0046] 1. Changes in aroma components of cigar tobacco leaves after fermentation

[0047] The content of aroma substances in tobacco leaves was determined by referring to the previous determination method, and the content of neutral aroma substances in tobacco leaves was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Guan Qinglin, Park Shengyuan, Qin Yanqing, et al. Effects of the application of trace elements on the neutral aroma components and non-volatile organic acid content of cigar tobacco leaves [J]. Shandong Agricultural Science, 2023, 55(2): 110-118.).

[0048] The results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1As shown. It can be seen that Example 1 can significantly increase the total amount of aroma components in tobacco leaves, which is 28%, 22%, 4% and 5% higher than the total amount of aroma components in tobacco leaves in Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2, Comparative Example 3 and Comparative Example 4, respectively. Example 1 significantly increases the content of browning reaction products, aromatic amino acid metabolites and carotenoid degradation products in tobacco leaves. These three types of substances play an important role in the aroma quality and sensory quality of tobacco leaves.

[0049] Table 1 Differences in the content of aroma components of different types of tobacco leaves under different fermentation treatments (μg / g)

[0050]

[0051] 2. Changes in sensory evaluation results after fermentation

[0052] Sensory evaluation method: The tobacco leaves with different treatments are rolled into cigarettes of the same specifications (144mm×53.4mm). After more than one week of equilibration, the smoke characteristics, aroma characteristics, taste characteristics and combustion characteristics of the cigarettes are evaluated by smoking according to the "Sensory Evaluation Method for Hainan Cigar Tobacco Leaves" (Q / HNYC JS XJ 010-2022). The score range of each indicator is 0-9 points, and the weighted total score of the sum of the individual scores multiplied by the weight is: smoke characteristics, 0.3; aroma characteristics, 0.3; taste characteristics, 0.25; combustion characteristics, 0.15.

[0053] The sensory evaluation of tobacco leaves with different treatments was carried out, and the results are shown in Table 2 and Figure 2 As shown, Example 1 scores higher than the four comparative examples, especially in terms of aroma, pungency, sweetness, etc.

[0054] Table 2 Sensory evaluation results after fermentation

[0055]

[0056] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent of the present invention. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1 spraying the sugar solution on the surface of the air-cured cigar tobacco leaves; S2 After the tobacco leaves fully absorb the sugar solution, the enzyme solution is sprayed on the surface of the cigar tobacco leaves; S3 After the tobacco leaves fully absorb the enzyme solution, the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked and sealed for fermentation; During fermentation, S4 uses an oxygen generator to control the oxygen concentration in the fermentation environment to 40% to 60%, which is applied for 0.5 to 2 hours a day. The moisture content of the tobacco leaves is controlled at 20 to 30%, and the fermentation cycle is 1 to 2 months.

2. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sugar solution is prepared by mixing glucose, fructose and honey in a mass ratio of 0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2 and dissolving them in 25-35 times the weight of water. The spraying amount is 0.5%-5% of the weight of the tobacco leaves.

3. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: The enzyme solution is prepared by mixing protease, pectinase and cellulase in a mass ratio of 0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2:0.8-1.2 and dissolving them in 25-35 times the weight of water. The spraying amount is 0.5%-3% of the weight of the tobacco leaves.

4. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the cigar tobacco leaves are stacked, they are first wrapped with hemp sheets, and then the outer layer is sealed with sealing materials.

5. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: During fermentation, the temperature of the tobacco stack is controlled at 40-50℃.

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