Abstract:To investigate the effects of glycerol on the pyrolysis characteristics and the release behavior of aroma components from different types of tobacco particles under heating conditions, thermogravimetric analysis and a self-built temperature-programmed heating platform coupled with a flue gas capture device were employed. The results were shown as follows. 1) The thermogravimetric process of four different types of tobacco particles could be divided into three stages, i.e., dehydration stage(stage Ⅰ), devolatilization stage(stage Ⅱ) and hemicellulose and cellulose pyrolysis stage(stage Ⅲ). Glycerol increased the weight loss rate and the maximum weight loss rate of tobacco particles in stage II to varying degrees, with the most significant effect observed in cigar tobacco particles. Meanwhile, glycerol reduced the weight loss rate and the maximum weight loss rate in stage III, indicating differences in the interaction between glycerol and different types of tobacco particles. 2) There were differences in the total release amounts of neutral, acidic, phenolic, and alkaline aroma components among different types of tobacco particles. For tobacco particles without glycerol, the total release amounts of neutral aroma components decreased in the order: flue-cured tobacco, oriental tobacco, burley tobacco, and cigar tobacco; the total release amounts of acidic aroma components and phenolic substances decreased in the order: oriental tobacco, cigar tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and burley tobacco; the total release amounts of alkaline aroma components decreased in the order: burley tobacco, cigar tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and oriental tobacco. 3) Glycerol increased the total release amounts of various aroma components from tobacco particles to varying degrees. The increase in the release amount of neutral aroma components ranged from 44.07% to 77.70%, the total release amount of acidic aroma components and phenolic substances increased by 29.34% to 53.32%, and the release amount of alkaline aroma components increased by 7.49% to 84.60%. The effects of glycerol on the thermogravimetric and aroma release characteristics of different types of tobacco particles varied, but overall, glycerol enhanced the total release amounts of various aroma components under heating conditions.