Tobacco is a plant with a high moisture content that, through a natural process, releases moisture into the environment when the surrounding air is too dry. For example, considering cigarettes, the moisture content may vary by up to 12% in weight when the humidity of the surrounding air varies in the range from 40% to 70%rh (at 24°C).

Why tobacco needs to be humidified?

Dry air causes the leaves to shrink, leading to a loss in weight, and increase in fragility, cracks and tears. This has negative effects on the production process, as it causes the tobacco to come out of the cigarettes, the cigarette paper to get caught in the machinery, and the tobacco leaves used in the production of cigars to break.

For tobacco, in order to maintain its quality and natural aroma when smoked, it must be stored in a place where the relative humidity of the air is 70 to 75%. Humidity control must be reliable, as tobacco reacts quickly to changes in the conditions of the air: if the air is too dry, it rapidly loses its moisture content; if the air is too humid, it rapidly deteriorates.

The air conditions required in the various tobacco processing phases are typically between 20 and 24°C, 60 and 70%rh. For storage, the temperature is usually around 20°C with 70 to 75%rh. Different humidity levels and temperatures may be required in specific processing phases or during storage.

In addition, humidification minimises the dispersion of dust in the air.

humiFog and MCmultizone are ideal products for tobacco production and storage.