The Rapid Pyrolytic Characterization of Tobacco Leaf Carbohydrate Material

A rapid, semi-micropyrolysis technique was developed and applied to materials representative of tobacco cell-wall constituents and sucrose. Glass capillary gas chromatography - mass spectrometry was used to separate and identify the major semi-volatile pyrolyzate components. Cellulose and dextrin produced a pattern of furan and cyclic ketones of potential importance to flavour and aroma of tobacco smoke. Sucrose pyrolysis resulted in the formation of substantial amounts of 2-furaldehyde and lesser quantities of substituted furans. The cell-wall biopolymer lignin was a source of phenols, but contributed little to the compounds produced in the thermal breakdown of carbohydrates.