TOBACCO STOCK PRODUCTION METHOD Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC A24B3/00 

FIELD: food industry.

SUBSTANCE: method relates to tobacco stock and may be used in agriculture for postharvest treatment. The method is implemented as follows. Field-fresh tobacco leaves (in complete technical ripeness state) are put, in bunches standing vertically on the leafstalk, into a container with a meshy bottom. Tobacco is stewed under natural conditions with periodical ambient air blowing for 48-54 hours till yellow discoloration of the main mass within no less than 2/3 of their area. From stewed tobacco leaves stems are carved out. They are squashed and dried under natural conditions. Then one packages them and sends them for downstream processing. Limbs without steams are threaded onto "П"-shaped needles so that the gap between the limbs is 2-5 mm. The needles with tobacco are put into a chamber and blown with air, dry-bulb thermometer temperature being 140-150°C and wet bulb thermometer temperature being 50-55°C, during 10-15 minutes. During the process colouring fixation and final limbs drying take place.

EFFECT: method allows to increase economic efficiency of the process and to improve tobacco quality due to decrease of toxicological agents content and improvement of volumetric and elastic characteristics of shredded tobacco.

1 tbl, 1 ex