Changes of Polyphenols in Tobacco Leaves During the Flue-Curing Process and Correlation Analysis on Some Chemical Components

The changes of polyphenols in tobacco leaves during the flue-curing process and correlation analysis on some chemical components were studied. Leaf samples were taken from different tobacco-producing regions in Henan Province, China. The results indicated that the content of total phenols increased during the first 24 h of curing, and then decreased. It reached the lowest value at 72 h of curing and increased rapidly after that. The content of chlorogenic acid also increased during 0–24 h of curing. But the lowest point occurred at 60 or 72 h of curing and then it increased till the end of the curing process. The content of rutin generally increased with curing, and showed little fluctuations. The changes of PPO and POD activity were the opposite. Rutin was found to have a highly significant positive correlation with total sugar (r = 0.822”), but a highly significant negative correlation with starch, nicotine, and protein.