Effect of Addition of both Glycerol and Sucrose on Fragility, Filling Capacity and Equilibrium Moisture Content of Tobacco Shreds

Abstract

The purpose of this study about the addition of both glycerol and sucrose to tobacco was to investigate the main effect of additive quantity of each additive as well as the interaction effect between both additives on three characteristics (fragility, filling capacity and equilibrium moisture content), and to compare the effect of simultaneous addition of both additives with that of individual addition of only glycerol or sucrose on the three characteristics. Experiments were carried out by changing such five factors, as the glycerol addition (0-4%), sucrose addition (0-8%), environmental humidity (43-80% RH), shreds length (0.71-12.7mm) and tobacco variety (Flue-cured and Burley), and by considering two subsidiary factors of glycerol and sucrose contents in tobacco shreds determined by chemical analysis.The important results obtained by the statistical analysis of these experimental data are as follows:(1) On the filling capacity and the equilibrium moisture content, the interaction effect between glycerol and sucrose was smaller than the main effect of glycerol or sucrose alone.(2) On the fragility, the main effect of glycerol was greater than that of sucrose or the interaction effect between glycerol and sucrose.(3) The effect of simultaneous addition of both glycerol and sucrose on the three characteristics can be regarded as the superposition of two individual effects of glycerol and sucrose.(4) In every case of the simultaneous addition of both glycerol and sucrose or the individual addition of only glycerol or sucrose, the effect of the addition was large on fragility, medium on filling capacity and small on equilibrium moisture content.