Application of Fourier Transform Infra-red Evolved Gas Analysis (FT-IR-EGA) to the Study of Tobacco Curing

FT-IR evolved gas analysis, a non-isothermal pyrolysis technique, is used to probe the changes in tobacco leaf composition which occur during flue- and air-curing. A unique perspective of major enzymatic processes and their dependencies on curing method is obtained through simultaneous detection of multiple pyrolytic products and three-dimensional presentation of the product evolution profiles. The conversion of starch to sugars, proteins to amino acids, and the relationships between these processes are explored.