2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Tobacco is the name of the dried or dried and fermented leaves of the tobacco plants Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica. It belongs to the Potato family, genus Nicotiana. Tobacco refers to specific crops that are grown for the purpose of obtaining products with a pronounced narcotic effect.
Nowadays, approximately 50 million decares are sown every year tobacco. 88% of them are in Asia - Pakistan, Turkey, China, Japan, India.
History of tobacco
The homeland of tobacco is America, where it has long been used by healers and Indian shamans. After its transfer to Europe, tobacco quickly gained popularity, making it one of the main drivers of European colonization of America. The scientific name of the genus of tobacco - Nicotiana is given in honor of Jean Nico. Nico was a French diplomat who promoted tobacco in Paris after returning from a mission in Lisbon in 1561. Tobacco has been grown in our country since 1717.
The use of products from tobacco changes over the years. In the beginning it was used for chewing and sniffing, later it began to be smoked by means of a hookah or pipe, while nowadays it is smoked in the form of cigars and cigarettes.
As is already very well known, the use of tobacco leads to addiction, in addition, there are a number of side effects. This is also the reason for organizing a massive fight against the bad habit, which dates back to the 50s of the last century.
Composition of tobacco
Tobacco has a very complex chemical composition, and it is also a product in which the properties depend on the contradictory combination of the individual substances in it. In general, the chemical constituents in tobacco can be divided into two groups. The first is group A, which includes substances that have a positive effect on quality - nicotine, resinous alcohol and some types of resins, essential oils, paraffin and soluble carbohydrates. The second is group B, which contains substances that negatively affect the quality - proteins, ammonia, organic acids and free bases, methyl alcohol and nitrogenous substances without nicotine.
The content of nicotine in tobacco ranges in a relatively wide range - from 0.5 to 14%, and in tobacco produced in Bulgaria - up to 1.5%. In addition to nicotine, tobacco leaves contain some other acaloids - anabasine, myosin, nornicotine, oxycotine. Of particular importance is nornicotine, which is considered ten times less harmful than nicotine.
The carbohydrates found in tobacco leaves also vary widely. In Bulgarian tobacco they are between 25 and 45%. It is they who largely determine the taste of tobacco.
The total nitrogen content reaches 2.60%, as the nitrogen substances are divided into two groups - soluble / amides, amino acids, amines, alkaloids, nucleic acids / and insoluble / proteins /.
The protein in tobacco is between 5-6.5%, but it is considered that a content of more than 6% is completely unacceptable. Nitrogen fertilization of tobacco fields increases the content of nitrogenous substances, both necessary and undesirable.
Types of tobacco
The most common species tobacco are:
Shag - is a large-leaved tobacco of the species Nicotiana rustica. They contain a lot of nicotine and are used to make snuff products;
Oriental tobacco - it is small-leaved, used mainly for the production of cigarettes;
Semi-oriental tobacco - it is slightly larger than the oriental. It is used for the production of cigarettes, except in our country it is produced in Turkey, Serbia, the Middle East and Macedonia;
Virginia Flu Kurd - Made in the USA and Zimbabwe. Represents large-leaved tobaccofrom which cigarettes are produced;
Burley and Maryland - tobacco produced in the United States. Burley is suitable for both cigarettes and pipes;
Smoked tobacco - have elastic but delicate leaves. There are three main varieties, according to purpose. Filler - for filling cigars; Binder - for cigar wrap; Rappers - to cover cigars. Rappers are the most expensive. These types of tobacco are produced in the Philippines, Indonesia, Cuba.
Tobacco use
Various tobacco products are obtained from tobacco leaves. The most common are, of course, cigarettes, followed by cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff and pipes. From the stems and leaves of some species tobacco / Shag /, which are characterized by high nicotine content, nicotine preparations are obtained. The alkaloids betaine and anabasine are extracted from other species, and malic and citric acid from others.
The stems of tobacco are very rich in potassium, and after undergoing special treatment are used to obtain fine paper. Tobacco seeds contain about 40% fat, which makes them suitable for extracting high quality oils for technical purposes.
Harm from tobacco
The use of tobacco in various forms and especially cigarettes brings a number of harms to health. Smoking is the biggest cause of lung cancer. It causes about 80-90% of all lung cancer deaths and about 1/3 of cancers in developing countries, including cancer of the stomach, mouth, vocal cords and throat.
Nicotine causes an increase in blood pressure, destroys the amount of vitamin C in the body. Smoking causes memory problems, reduces the speed of storing information. It is associated with an increased risk of not only cancer but also cardiovascular disease. It is important to note that passive smokers are also at serious risk.
