Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the correlations among degree of carbonization, chemical components and chromatic characteristics, and to establish the criterion of carbonizaion in leaf tobacco during aging storage. The flue-cured (B2O) and burley (B2T) leaf tobaccos were redried with conventional practices for each other type, and moisture contents of leaf tobaccos were adjusted to 13, 15, 17 and 19% after redrying. The leaf tobaccos were packed in carton box and stored for 8 months in the controlled-environment rooms($35^{\circ}C$, 65% R.H. and $40^{\circ}C$, 80% R.H.). Degree of carbonization, chemical components, and chromatic characteristics(L ; black-white, a ; red to green, b ; yellow to blue) were invetigated every month. Carbonization Index (C.I.) was established as (equation omitted) in accordance with degree of carbonization in two types. The C.I. value of flue-cured leaf(56.5) for slight carbonization was higher than that of burley leaf(48.0). C.I. and rate of usable leaf, L and b were positively correlated in two types. C.I. was significantly shown positive correlation with pH in two types. The correlations between the predicted and the observed values of slight carbonizating times(month after storage) using C.I. and pH were positive significant in two types. The results suggest that cabonization index may be useful to forecast and prevent the carbonization, and pH may be useful to estimate cabonization indirectly for flue-cured and burley leaves during aging storage.