Method for on-line mass spectrum monitoring of tobacco leaf fermentation process

Abstract

The invention relates to a tobacco leaf fermentation process, in particular to a method for monitoring a tobacco leaf fermentation process on line based on a mass spectrometry technology, and a specific structure comprises a fermentation tank, a thermostatic chamber, a gas source, a mass flow controller, a humidification bottle and a mass spectrometer. According to the method, the volatile substances generated in the tobacco leaf fermentation process are monitored by simulating the tobacco leaf fermentation environment and combining the strong online analysis capability of the mass spectrum, and technical support is provided for guiding the tobacco leaf fermentation process and regulating and controlling the taste and flavor of the tobacco leaves.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco fermentation process, and more specifically, to a method for monitoring the tobacco fermentation process by online mass spectrometry. The method simulates the tobacco fermentation environment in a fermentation tank through an online mass spectrometry analysis method, and continuously monitors the flavor substances produced during the tobacco fermentation process, which has important guiding significance for regulating the tobacco fermentation environment and improving the tobacco flavor. Background Art

[0002] Tobacco leaf fermentation is an important part of the cigarette making process. It is an important part of producing the aroma and taste of cigarettes through specific processing and fermentation of tobacco leaves. A series of changes will occur during the fermentation of tobacco leaves, including chemical composition, tissue structure, aroma and taste. Among them, the changes in chemical composition caused by tobacco leaf fermentation play an important role in the taste, aroma and quality of cigarettes, and also have an impact on human health. Nicotine is one of the most important chemicals in cigarettes, which has a refreshing effect. But it increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The aromatic substances produced by fermentation will increase the aroma and taste of cigarettes and enhance the flavor of cigarettes. However, some aromatic substances such as acrolein and acrylamide will have adverse effects on human health and may cause health problems such as headaches, nausea, and insomnia. Therefore, it is particularly important to control the tobacco leaf fermentation process.

[0003] As a commonly used analytical and detection method, mass spectrometry is very suitable for monitoring chemical substances produced during the fermentation process of cigarettes. Based on the monitoring results, the fermentation conditions can be improved and optimized to improve the quality of tobacco leaves. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to utilize the powerful online monitoring function of mass spectrometry technology to detect the chemical substances produced during the tobacco leaf fermentation process, thereby guiding and improving the fermentation technology and further improving the quality of tobacco leaves.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0006] A method for online mass spectrometry monitoring of tobacco fermentation process, comprising a fermentation tank, a constant temperature chamber, a gas source, a first mass flow controller, a second mass flow controller, a humidifying bottle and a mass spectrometer, characterized in that:

[0007] The fermentation tank is made of stainless steel with a wall thickness of 3-10mm. The tank body is cylindrical with a volume of 10-50L and a tank mouth on the top. A bottle cap is provided at the tank mouth on the top of the fermentation tank, and the bottle cap is connected to the tank mouth through a thread and seals the tank mouth. Three through holes with internal threads of 3mm-4mm (such as 3mm or 4mm) in diameter are sequentially opened from top to bottom in the upper middle part of the fermentation tank body. A hygrometer is arranged in one of the three threaded holes, and the other two are connected to the air outlet of the drying gas path and the air outlet of the humidifying gas path respectively. A through hole is opened at the bottom of the fermentation tank, and a drainage pipeline is arranged outside the fermentation tank, one end of which is connected to the through hole.

[0008] The fermentation tank is placed in a constant temperature room; the drying gas path is connected to the gas source through a first mass flow controller, and the humidification gas path is connected to the gas source through a humidification bottle filled with water through a second mass flow controller;

[0009] Tobacco leaves are loaded into fermentation tanks;

[0010] A small through hole with a diameter of 3mm-4mm (such as 3mm or 4mm) is also provided on the tank cover, which is connected to the sampling pipeline of the mass spectrometer to pass the gas in the fermentation tank into the mass spectrometer for detection.

[0011] The constant temperature chamber is a constant temperature drying box with an internal volume of about 40-70 L. During the fermentation process, the fermentation tank is placed in the constant temperature chamber and the temperature of the constant temperature chamber is set to 40±2°C.

[0012] The humidity meter probe on the fermenter extends into the fermenter to monitor the humidity changes during the fermentation process and adjust the air flow according to the humidity; during the fermentation process, the humidity in the fermenter is 80±3%.

[0013] The humidifying bottle is a bubbling bottle filled with water. There are two tubes on the sealed bottle. The air inlet tube is inserted into the lower part of the liquid surface in the bottle for bubbling, and the air outlet tube is led out from the upper part of the liquid surface and connected to the fermentation tank.

[0014] A gas mass flow controller is arranged on the drying gas path, and a gas mass flow controller and a humidifying bottle are arranged on the humidifying gas path. The two gas paths control the humidity in the fermentation tank by controlling the gas flow rate.

[0015] The drying gas circuit and the humidifying gas circuit share a compressed air source.

[0016] A through hole with a diameter of 3-4 mm is opened in the middle of the fermentation tank cover to discharge the gas in the tank and maintain air pressure balance.

[0017] The volatile substances produced during tobacco leaf fermentation were detected by mass spectrometry.

[0018] The mass spectrometer can be a mass spectrometer with online monitoring capability, such as a photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer or a selected ion mobility mass spectrometer.

[0019] A metal filter is provided at the bottom of the tank body in the fermentation tank. The tobacco leaves to be fermented are piled on the filter. The water produced by the fermentation sinks to the bottom of the tank through the metal filter, and the excess water produced by the fermentation is discharged through the drainage pipe.

[0020] This method simulates the tobacco fermentation environment and combines the powerful online analysis capability of mass spectrometry to monitor the volatile substances produced during the tobacco fermentation process, providing technical support for guiding the tobacco fermentation process and regulating the taste and flavor of tobacco leaves. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a method for online mass spectrometry monitoring of tobacco leaf fermentation process according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a trend chart for continuously monitoring the changes in 6 flavor substances. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] See also Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. It includes a fermentation tank 1, a constant temperature chamber 2, a gas source 8, a first and a second mass flow controller 9, 10, a humidifying bottle 11 and a mass spectrometer 5, and is characterized in that:

[0024] The fermentation tank 1 is made of stainless steel, with a wall thickness of 4 mm, a cylindrical tank body, a volume of 20 L, and a tank mouth on the top; a bottle cap 6 is provided at the tank mouth on the top of the fermentation tank 1, and the bottle cap 6 is connected to the tank mouth through a thread and seals the tank mouth; three through holes with a diameter of 4 mm and internal threads are sequentially opened from top to bottom in the upper middle part of the tank body of the fermentation tank 1, a hygrometer 7 is arranged in one of the three threaded holes, and the other two are connected to the air outlet of the dry gas path and the air outlet of the humidification gas path respectively; a through hole is opened at the bottom of the fermentation tank, and a drainage pipe 4 is arranged outside the fermentation tank, one end of which is connected to the through hole;

[0025] The fermentation tank 1 is placed in a constant temperature chamber 2; the drying gas path is connected to the gas source 8 through a first mass flow controller 9, and the humidification gas path is connected to the gas source 8 through a humidification bottle 11 filled with water through a second mass flow controller 10;

[0026] Tobacco leaves are loaded into a fermentation tank 1;

[0027] A small through hole with a diameter of 4 mm is also provided on the tank cover 6 , which is connected to the sampling pipeline of the mass spectrometer 5 , so that the gas in the fermentation tank 1 is passed into the mass spectrometer 5 for detection.

[0028] The constant temperature chamber 2 is a constant temperature drying box, and the internal volume is about 40 L. During the fermentation process, the fermentation tank 1 is placed in the constant temperature chamber 2, and the temperature of the constant temperature chamber 2 is set to 40°C.

[0029] The probe of the hygrometer 7 on the fermentation tank 1 extends into the fermentation tank 1 to monitor the humidity changes during the fermentation process and adjust the air flow according to the humidity; during the fermentation process, the humidity in the fermentation tank is 80%.

[0030] The humidifying bottle 11 is a bubbling bottle filled with water. Two tubes are opened on the sealed bottle. The air inlet tube is inserted into the lower part of the liquid surface in the bottle for bubbling, and the air outlet tube is led out from the upper part of the liquid surface and connected to the fermentation tank.

[0031] A gas mass flow controller 9 is provided on the drying gas path, and a gas mass flow controller 10 and a humidifying bottle 11 are provided on the humidifying gas path. The two gas paths control the humidity in the fermentation tank by controlling the gas flow rate.

[0032] The drying gas circuit and the humidifying gas circuit share a compressed air source 8.

[0033] A through hole with a diameter of mm is provided in the middle of the fermentation tank cover 6 to discharge the gas in the tank and maintain the air pressure balance.

[0034] The volatile substances produced during tobacco leaf fermentation were detected by mass spectrometry.

[0035] The mass spectrometer 5 uses a photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

[0036] A metal filter 3 is provided at the bottom of the fermentation tank 1, and the tobacco leaves to be fermented are piled on the filter. The water produced by the fermentation sinks to the bottom of the tank through the metal filter 3, and the excess water produced by the fermentation is discharged through the drainage pipe 4.

[0037] Example

[0038] The above method was used to continuously monitor the fermentation process of Dominican tobacco leaves produced in Hainan Province. About 2 kg of tobacco leaves were filled in the fermentation tank, the fermentation temperature was maintained at 40°C, the fermentation humidity was maintained at 80% (relative humidity), and the continuous monitoring was carried out for about 230 hours. Figure 2 As shown, the changing trends of 6 compounds (2-phenylethanol, 6-methyl-3,5-pentadien-2-one, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, 1-ethylpiperidin-3-one, 2-pentylfuran, and 4-isopropylbenzyl alcohol) produced by tobacco leaf fermentation with fermentation time are shown. It can be seen that the concentrations of several compounds continue to increase with the progress of the fermentation process.

Claims

1. A method for online mass spectrometry monitoring of tobacco leaf fermentation process, comprising a fermentation tank (1), a constant temperature chamber (2), a gas source (8), a first and a second mass flow controller (9, 10), a humidifying bottle (11) and a mass spectrometer (5), characterized in that: The fermentation tank (1) is made of stainless steel with a wall thickness of 3-10 mm. The tank body is cylindrical with a volume of 10-50 L and a tank mouth on the top. A bottle cap (6) is provided at the tank mouth on the top of the fermentation tank (1). The bottle cap (6) is screwed to the tank mouth through a thread and seals the tank mouth. Three through holes with internal threads and a diameter of 3 mm-4 mm (e.g., 3 mm or 4 mm) are sequentially provided in the middle and upper part of the tank body of the fermentation tank (1) from top to bottom. A hygrometer (7) is provided in one of the three threaded holes, and the other two are connected to the outlet of the drying gas path and the outlet of the humidifying gas path respectively. A through hole is provided at the bottom of the fermentation tank. A drainage pipeline (4) is provided outside the fermentation tank, and one end of the drainage pipeline (4) is connected to the through hole. The fermentation tank (1) is placed in a constant temperature room (2); the air inlet of the drying gas path is connected to the gas source (8) via a first mass flow controller (9), and the air inlet of the humidification gas path is connected to the gas source (8) via a humidification bottle (11) filled with water via a second mass flow controller (10); Tobacco leaves are loaded into a fermentation tank (1); The tank cover (6) is also provided with a small through hole with a diameter of 3 mm-4 mm (eg 3 mm or 4 mm), which is connected to the sampling pipeline of the mass spectrometer (5) to pass the gas in the fermentation tank (1) into the mass spectrometer (5) for detection.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The constant temperature chamber (2) is a constant temperature drying box, and the internal volume is about 40-70L; during the fermentation process, the fermentation tank (1) is placed in the constant temperature chamber (2), and the temperature of the constant temperature chamber (2) is set to 40±2°C.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The probe of the hygrometer (7) on the fermentation tank (1) extends into the fermentation tank (1) to monitor the humidity changes during the fermentation process and adjust the airflow of the dry gas and the humidified gas according to the humidity; during the fermentation process, the humidity in the fermentation tank is 80±3%.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidifying bottle (11) is a bubbling bottle filled with water. Two tubes are inserted into the sealed bottle, wherein the air inlet tube is inserted into the lower part of the liquid surface in the bottle for bubbling, and the air outlet tube is led out from the upper part of the liquid surface and connected to the fermentation tank; A first gas mass flow controller (9) is provided on the drying gas path, and a second gas mass flow controller (10) and a humidifying bottle (11) are provided on the humidifying gas path. The two gas paths control the gas flow rate to regulate the humidity in the fermentation tank.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The drying gas circuit and the humidifying gas circuit share a compressed air source (8).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: A through hole with a diameter of 3-4 mm is provided in the middle of the fermentation tank cover (6) for discharging gas in the tank and maintaining air pressure balance.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The volatile substances produced during tobacco leaf fermentation were detected by mass spectrometry.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The mass spectrometer (5) can be a mass spectrometer with online monitoring capability, such as a photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer or a selected ion mobility mass spectrometer.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: A layer of metal filter (3) is provided at the lower middle part of the tank body in the fermentation tank (1), with a gap between the metal filter (3) and the tank bottom. Tobacco leaves to be fermented are piled on the filter, and water generated by fermentation sinks to the tank bottom through the metal filter (3), and excess water generated by fermentation is discharged through a drainage pipe (4).

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