• Tobacco waste is a rich source for industrially and pharmaceutically important by-products like nicotine sulphate, solanesol and organic acids.
• Viable process technologies are developed for isolating these useful chemicals.
• Nicotine sulphate can be used as an effective insecticide for the control of the two major tobacco pests S. litura and Heliothis and is being exported to several countries like Japan and UK etc. It is reported that solanesol is an important basic material for manufacturing cardiac drugs.
• The division is equipped with HPLC to carry out the analysis of organic compounds present in minute quantities with higher precision.
• Tobacco seedlings left over in the nursery are found to be a source of edible proteins of high purity (80%) and nutritive value. The yield per hectare of proteins is 182 kg. The protein was found virtually devoid of many tobacco constituents.

Solanesol, Nicotine and Organic Acids in various Tobacco Wastes

Nutritional Evaluation of Tobacco Leaf Protein using Skim Milk Powder as Standard Protein

• Unlike in other crops, in tobacco the ultimate product is the leaf that is consumed.
• Nicotine is the principal alkaloid present in tobacco leaf. Large quantities of tobacco are consumed for smoking, chewing and snuff. Small quantities are also utilise in manufacture of nicotine sulphate used as insecticide and for pharmaceutical purposes.
• Tobacco is consumed in one form or other all over the world and possibly is the most democratic luxury and as such it is rich man's solace and poor man's comfort with the everchanging socio-economic conditions and mounting tensions associated with present day living, consumption of tobacco as a means of relaxation has increased considerably.
• The trends in tobacco consumption in recent years show more preference towards smoking.

Economic Importance

• Tobacco cultivation has become an industry, which has made great strides and is playing major role in Indian Economy. So much so India has now become the third largest producer of tobacco in the world, after U.S.A. and China.
• Total production in India = 550 – 600 Million Kg.
• Out of that 33% is from FCV and remaining 67% is from Virginia
• FCV is mainly used for Utilised for manufacture of cigarettes
• Virginia used in production of beedies, cigars, zards, chewing tobacco, hookha and snuff.

Utilisation Percentage

• 60% F.C.V. produced in India is being utilised by the domestic Industry and the balance is exported.
• In past chewing, hookha and cheroit were the most popular forms consumed in India. In 1950s and 1960s beedi and cigarette sects expanded immensely.
• Worldwide 85% of cultivated tobacco goes to cigarette, but in India it is only 20%. Beedi is the most popular form in India. The sales of beedies total about 1000 billions as compared to only 5 billion cigarettes.
• A total of about 85,000 farm families depend on these crop for the livelyhood.
• Arround four million people get second employment for harvesting, growing and processing.
• 1.0 million retailers make a living from selling cigarettes and other tobacco products.