Process for postharvest treatment of tobacco leaves

The invention relates to the postharvest treatment of tobacco leaves, including drying and fermentation thereof, and may be used in the firms producing tobacco raw material used for manufacture of smoking articles. The process includes preparation of tobacco leaves for the treatment, preliminary drying of the foliar limbs in natural conditions, loading of the tobacco leaves in the treatment chambers, color fixation, drying of the central nerves and of the petioles in a cyclically oscillating temperature condition within the limits of 40...70 degree C with the rate of growth and reduction thereof of 5...10 and 10...15 degree C per hour respectively in active ventilation conditions. Novelty consists in that after drying of the central nerves and of the petioles there is carried out fermentation of the tobacco leaves in the same temperature condition as the drying of the central nerves and of the petioles, supplementing it with a cyclically oscillating air humidity within the limits of 50...80% during 2...3 oscillation cycles up to the attainment in the tobacco leaves of the oxygen index of at most 0,1 ml/g, at the same time the relative humidity and temperature growth and reduction rates are synchronized in antiphase, then it is carried out in the same chambers the maturation and cooling concomitantly with the additional conditioning of the tobacco leaves according to humidity.The result consists in reducing the time of treatment of the tobacco leaves that leads to the improvement of tobacco quality and to the reduction of power expenses.Claims: 1