Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of bulk fermentation on chemical, chromatic, and organoleptic characteristics of burley leaf tobacco. The pile of ferment processing was taken up 32 days under the conolitions of leaf moisture contents of $28\pm1%$, with a pressure of some 200kg/$m^2$ within a closed room (mean air temperature and relative humidity ; 20.5$^{\circ}C$ and 58.7%). The pile was opened up and reconstructed two times when the maximum inside temperature reached at $45~46^{\circ}C$. The nicotine content was decreased, but amomnia contents and pH were significantly increased by bulk fermentation. Otherwise, the contents of total nitrogen, total volatile base, organic acids, and fatty acids were not affected by same treatment. The value of L(black to white), a(red to green) and b(yellow to blue) in chromatic characteristics were significantly decreased by bulk fermentation. In sensory test of the cigarettes made by addition of the tormented tobacco leaves after toasting in proportion of 19-25%, no negative characteristics in irritation, taste, and preference were detected in comparison with normally processed cigarettes(19%, 2 years fermentation, toasting). The results suggest that bulk fermentation may be useful to increase the proportion of burley leaf tobacco in the cigarettes and to shorten the period of storage for aging.