Comparison of Benefits of Different Tobacco Loading Methods and Matching Baking Processes in Intensive Curing Houses[ ]

[Objectives] Benefits of different tobacco loading methods and supporting baking processes in intensive curing houses were compared. [Methods] Flue-cured tobacco variety K326 was taken as material, and comparative experiment on baking effects of six tobacco loading methods (traditional hanging pole, loose leaf stacking, loose leaf binding and inserting, loose leaf inserting, loose leaf net basket, loose leaf grid) was conducted. [Results] Cost of dry tobacco loading equipment for hanging pole and loose leaf stacking was 0.01 and 0.1 yuan/kg, and cost of tobacco loading by loose leaf basket reached 0.36 yuan/kg. Labor cost for baking dry tobacco by direct stacking of loose leaves reached 2.02 yuan/kg, which was the lowest, while labor cost for binding and inserting loose leaves reached 2.44 yuan/kg, which was the highest. Energy consumption cost of dry tobacco baking with loose leaf grid was 1.06 yuan/kg, which was the lowest, while baking energy consumption cost of loose leaf stacking reached 1.23 yuan/kg, which was the highest. From the perspective of baking income, loose leaf inserting reached 21.36 yuan/kg, which was the lowest, while net basket reached 27.79 yuan/kg, which was the highest, followed by grid (23.46 yuan/kg) and loose leaf binding and inserting (22.5 yuan/kg). [Conclusions] It is worth popularizing the loose leaf binding and inserting and the loose leaf grid baking.