Research and Application Progress of Controlled Atmosphere Technology in Tobacco Storage and Conservation in China

Controlled atmosphere technology is a safe, effective, green and environmentally friendly storage and maintenance technology. In the past 20 years, controlled atmosphere technology has developed rapidly in the field of tobacco storage and maintenance, and has achieved many research and application results in tobacco pest control, mold prevention, and quality maintenance. This article reviews the development process of controlled atmosphere technology in the field of tobacco storage and maintenance, summarizes the research and application progress of controlled atmosphere technology in pest control and mold prevention of tobacco, analyses the impact of controlled atmosphere technology on tobacco quality during the aging process. It is concluded that it is necessary to strengthen the application research of controlled atmosphere technology on raw tobacco, and to construct an integrated maintenance system of “raw tobacco-flue-cured tobacco”. In response to the current problems, e.g. excessive insecticidal time and unclear relationship between controlled atmosphere parameters and tobacco aging process, this article pointed out that further research should focuse on the development of rapid insecticide technology by combining air-conditioning and other technologies, and on the systematically study the mechanisms of the effect air-conditioning parameters on the tobacco quality during aging, so as to achieve a balance between aging time and quality as well as the precise regulation of tobacco aging process.