| Abstract:This study applies plant-derived nanofiber cellulose materials to the field of flavor-enhancing and moisture-retaining technologies in the tobacco industry, aligning with the development needs of the tobacco sector while contributing to the enhancement of the reputation of Chinese-style cigarette brands. The research selected different types of nanofiber cellulose as tobacco moisturizers and optimized the parameters and technical pathways for their application. Subsequently, the study investigated the effects of different moisturizers on the performance, flavor-enhancing effects, chemical structure, surface wettability, microstructure, and specific surface area of tobacco strands. The results demonstrated that nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC)-based moisturizers exhibited slightly superior moisture retention compared to propylene glycol; NFC with a high charge density demonstrated exceptional physical moisture retention performance for tobacco at a spray-on amount of 2.0 wt%. Experimental findings revealed that the addition of NFC moisturizers did not negatively impact the sensory quality of cigarettes, while also improving the sensory perception of moisture retention to some extent. Furthermore, the study found that the pyrolysis products of NFC moisturizers during tobacco combustion primarily consisted of alkane, heterocyclic, aromatic, furan, aldehyde, alcohol, ester, and carboxylic acid compounds, with their addition not altering the distribution of tobacco pyrolysis products or sensory characteristics during inhalation. A structure-performance relationship analysis indicated that NFC gels primarily achieved tobacco moisture retention through a combination of hydrogen bond water fixation and surface sealing effects. |