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Tobacco Science & Technology, 2009, 6, p. 8-14, ISSN.1002-0861

Effects of altitude and relative humidity on sensory quality of cigarette

XU JIAN; LI ZHONG-REN; NI CHAO-MIN
HongTa Tobacco Group Co., R&D, Yuxi, Yunnan, China
In order to investigate the influence of altitude and relative humidity on the indexes of cigarette sensory quality, 11 sensory indexes of a certain cigarette brand were sensory evaluated in 16 cities and analyzed by MBA (Multilevel B-spline Approximation). The results showed that the sensory indexes changed with altitude and relative humidity. At an altitude range of 0 to 1000m and relative humidity of 30% to 50% or 60% to 80%, smoke showed better aromatic characteristics (flavor note, aromatic quantity and quality); at an altitude between 200 and 700m and relative humidity of 60%-80%, it showed higher smoke characteristic (thickness); while at an altitude between 0 and 1000m and relative humidity of 60%-80%, it offered better mouth feeling (irritation, smoke moistness, cleanness and aftertaste). The evaluation results showed that the sensory quality of cigarette was better in the whole when altitude was below 1000m; if relative humidity was in the range of 30%-50% or 60%-80%, the best.