Pre-conditioned tobacco was milled and sieved between 500-650 pm particle sizes, conditioned at 61% relative humidity and 21°C, and pyrolysed in a glass tube heated to 640°C in a current of air adjusted to a flow-rate of 1.25 litres per minute. Pyrolysed material was collected on a glass fibre filter and the condensate mass related to the smoke particulate matter yields of a cigarette produced from the same tobacco. Condensate weights from the prediction method were compared against conventional cigarette smoke particulate matter yields for a serves of eight flue-cured tobacco types. Statistical analyses of results showed that condensate weights were highly correlated with both particulate matter per cigarette and particulate matter per gram of tobacco burned in a cigarette by linear functional relationships. Correlation coefficients were 0.977and 0.980 respectively.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")