Mold- and nonmold-damaged flue-cured tobacco laminae and veins from auction warehouses were evaluated for microflora before, during, and after redrying. The amounts of the three predominant fungi, Aspergillus repens, A. ruber, and A. niger, in nonmold-damaged tobacco, measured as colonies per gram, ranged from 0 to 14,800. A. repens propagules in mold-damaged tobacco were as high as 3.2 million colonies per gram. Tobacco from areas adjacent to mold damage, but not visibly mold damaged, contained 64,600, 15,900, and 26,200 colonies per gram of A. repens, A. ruber, and A. niger, respectively. Fungi in mold- and nonmold-damaged tobacco were not eliminated by redrying and were similar in numbers and kinds to those found in other studies with flue-cured tobacco.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")