VALUE ADDITION IN A SUN CURED CHEWING TOBACCO ( NICOTIANA TABACUM L) WITH NATURAL SWEETNERS AND ASTRINGENT TASTENERS

Abstract

Experiments were conducted at ICAR- CTRI Research station farm – bulking shed from 2020-21 to 2021-22 season to evaluate the different natural sweetners and astringent tasteners viz White sugar, Coconut palm jaggery, Sugarcane jaggery, Palmyrah jaggery at 10% solution and astringent tasteners viz., Coconut mesocarp, Banana peduncle, Banana pseudo stem at 5% solution with a control for value addition in chewing tobacco.The experiment was conducted in a CRBD design with 3 replications. The natural sweetners and astringent tasteners were treated as per the treatments. The cured leaf of chewing tobacco treated with Palmyra jaggery 10% solution in combination with 5% solution of banana peducle or banana pseudo stem or coconut mesocarp, increased the weight of treated cured leaves. The weight increased by 13-14 % over the control (untreated). Net return was also higher (Rs 2863 to 2881) with the palmyra jaggery 10 % solutioin with different astringent tasteners. The chewability scores tested revealed that palmyra jaggery 10 % solution with different astringent tasteners improved the body (8.0), aroma (7.92 -8.0), Incrustation (7.9-8.0), taste( 7.66-7.92), pungency( 7.67-7.83), saliva secretion (6.25-6.42), duration of pungency (6.58-6.83), stiffness in the mouth (7.838.0) with a total score of 75 -75.8 out of 80, which was found to be more preferable.