THE FLAVOR CONTRIBUTION OF TURKISH TOBACCO 



IN 

 BLENDED CIGARETTES 



R. L. Stedman and C. D. Stills 



ABSTRACT 



A study was made of tne effect of added isovaleric and 

 j3-methylvaleric acids on the flavor of smoke from blended 

 cigarettes that did not contain Turkish tobacco. The smoke 

 from blended cigarettes containing flue-cured, burley, and 

 Maryland tobaccos with added acids had organoleptic prop- 

 erties that were identical to the smoke from a blend con- 

 taining flue-cured, burley, Maryland, and Turkish tobaccos. 

 Thus, isovaleric and /3-methylvaleric acids are important 

 constituents in the smoke flavor contributed by Turkish to- 

 bacco in blended cigarettes containing the four major ciga- 

 rette tobaccos. 



Most cigarettes made in the United States for domestic 

 consumption contain blends of different tobacco types. The 

 important types used in these blends are flue-cured, burley, 

 Maryland, and Turkish tobaccos.* Each type is believed to 

 contribute specific physical or organoleptic properties to the 

 finished product resulting in the overall aroma, flavor, and 

 burn characteristics typical of domestic cigarettes (3).** 



Flue-cured tobacco is believed to contribute most of the 

 aroma of the cigarette and a large amount of the smoke flavor; 

 this type is the major component in domestic cigarette tobacco 

 blends and is used in amounts ranging from approximately 45 

 to 75 percent of the blend. Burley tobacco is added to the 

 blend to improve the burn rate, to contribute bulk to the ciga- 

 rette, and to give strength to the smoke; the levels of burley 



* "Bright" and "Virginia" are frequently used synonyms for 

 flue-cured tobacco, and "Oriental" and "Aromatic" are simi- 

 larly used for Turkish tobacco. 



**Numbers in parentheses refer to literature cited at end of 

 this report. 





