Studies on Storage and Ageing of Leaf Tobacco

Abstract

Changes in the content of amino acid-sugar compounds with natural ageing of flue-cured leaf tobaccos were followed during a period of four years. The content of 1-deoxy-1-prolino-fructose, the most prominent component of the amino acid-sugar compounds in the tobacco, increased in the initial period of the storage and then turned to decreasing. Most of the other amino acid-sugar compounds also showed similar changes in content except for glutamine-fructose compound which only decreased throughout the storage period. These changes indicated the possible progress of Maillard type reactions during natural ageing of leaf tobaccos.