Removing pectin in tobacco stems for reconstituted tobacco manufacturing
In order to reduce the negative effect of pectin on the smoking taste of reconstituted tobacco, the improved sulfuric acid-carbazole analysis method with desugarization was used to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of some extractive agents, including water, EDTA, sodium hexametaphosphate, diammonium phosphate and ammonium oxalate, on the extraction of pectin in tobacco stems. Taking the factors of process technologies and energy consumption into account, the experimental analysis method based on secondary subtraction of response surface method was established to optimize the extraction conditions. The optimal conditions were: 1.2% ammonium oxalate solution, ratio of solution to tobacco stems 10:1, extracting for 30 minutes at 60 °C.