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Tobacco

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COMERG • Tobacco extraction

Tobacco Leaf

Nicotiana tabacum L.

Turn cured tobacco leaf into a deep, smoky base-note extract for perfumery with COMERG equipment. Our cold, room-temperature, low-pressure process draws out the warm, leathery, hay-like character that anchors oriental and chypre fragrances, with no heat to scorch the leaf.

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Deep base note

The leaf

A perfumer's base note

Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, is a fragrance material with a long history in fine perfumery. Its cured leaf gives a warm, dry, leathery and hay-like scent that perfumers use to anchor oriental, chypre and masculine accords, where it sits at the very base of the composition.

The dried leaf is cut and processed cold, so the finished extract keeps the rich, rounded depth of cured tobacco rather than a burnt or harsh note. Nothing is added, and the leaf's full base-note character is carried through.

Raw material

Botanical nameNicotiana tabacum L.
FamilySolanaceae
Plant partLeaves
ConditionDried, cut
OriginBulgaria
AvailabilityAll year

The extract

What the process delivers

Run on COMERG equipment, cured tobacco leaf yields a deep, standardised base-note extract, batch after batch. Because the extraction is cold and solvent-light, with no high heat, the warm, rounded character carries straight through. The figures below are typical of a standardised BTob-20.1 grade.

≥20%Volatile oil v/w
8-20%Phytol acetate
<25 °CExtraction temp
97%Compound recovery
~400 kgLeaves per kg extract
<0.1 g/kgSolvent residue

The method

Cold extraction, in three steps

No heat, no leftover solvent. This is what happens inside a COMERG aerosol system, and why the extract keeps the deep, rounded character of cured tobacco.

1

Pressurised R134a flooding

Non-toxic liquefied R134a gas is introduced to the cut tobacco leaf at controlled, low pressure. There is no heat, the cycle begins and stays at room temperature.

2

Selective dissolution

The liquid gas gently dissolves the leaf's aromatic and resinous compounds, the molecules that carry the warm, leathery base note, without scorching them.

3

Recovery and pure extract

The R134a is fully recovered and recycled in a closed loop. What is left is a concentrated tobacco extract, at least 20% volatile oil, with under 0.1 g/kg residue.

Composition profile

The compound fingerprint

Principal constituents identified by GC-MS, each above 1%. Nicotine is by far the major alkaloid, with phytol acetate next, while the warm, characteristic scent is carried by the minor constituents below it.

Nicotine
60-73%
Phytol acetate
8-20%
3-Oxo-a-ionol
2%
Solanone
1%
Curlone
1%
Norambreinolide
1%
Benzyl alcohol
1%
0%30%50%73%

Nicotine is the major alkaloid and is highly toxic, this material is for fragrance use only. Other waxes and extractables present. Per-batch GC-MS report available on request.

Specification

BTob-20.1 at a glance

Identity & origin

Botanical nameNicotiana tabacum L.
Plant partLeaves
OriginBulgaria
Product codeBTob-20.1
CAS No.84961-66-0
EINECS No.284-656-5

Production

MethodLiquefied-gas extraction
TemperatureBelow 25 °C
SolventFood-grade (Dir. 97/60/EC)
Solvent residue< 0.1 g/kg
StandardisationDeclared volatile oil
Concentration1 kg ≈ 350-450 kg leaves

Physical

AppearanceDark brown liquid to solid
Volatile oil20-25% v/w (ASTA)
INCI nameNicotiana Tabacum Leaf Extract
DensityOn request
Refractive indexOn request
Flash point> 62 °C

Solubility & output

In oilsFully soluble
In 40% alcoholPartial
In waterInsoluble
UseFragrance only
ContainerLined aluminium bottle
Shelf life2 years

Why tobacco, why cold

A deep leaf, captured whole

A concentrated leaf

Nicotiana tabacum, Bulgaria

Plant partLeaves, cut
Leaves per kg extract~350-450 kg
Volatile oil≥ 20% v/w
Major alkaloidNicotine

Captured cold

Versus heat-based methods

Phytol acetate8-20% kept
Base noteWarm, not burnt
Process temperature< 25 °C
Rounded depthPreserved

Applications

What you can make

Oriental & chypre accords Tobacco & leather notes Base-note fixative Masculine fragrance Niche perfumery

This extract is not edible and is highly poisonous because of its nicotine content. It is intended for use in perfumery and cosmetics only, taken concentrated or diluted in a carrier, with filling rates set to your application. Keep away from children.

Why the COMERG line

Built for deep, resinous materials

A rich, rounded tobacco base note depends on a process that does not burn the leaf. Our line is engineered around exactly the gentle, controlled extraction that resinous fragrance materials need.

Room temperatureR134a aerosol extraction works cold and at low pressure, so the leaf's warm character is never scorched into a burnt note.
Holds the base noteThe heavier resinous and aromatic molecules behind the leathery depth come through intact, for a rich, rounded base.
Fully automatedClosed-loop systems run the cycle for you, so results stay consistent and one operator can handle the line.
Fast cycles, high yieldLow-pressure extraction is quick and recovers up to 97% of the leaf's compounds, more than older high-pressure CO2 lines.
Scales with youFrom a 10 l pilot unit to 2000 l production, the same method grows from R&D batches to full output.
Clean and economicalIt uses around 85% less energy than solvent methods and needs no special hazardous-location facility.

Why it wins

Compared to the alternatives

Against steam distillation, solvent and CO2, cold R134a extraction gives a deep, clean tobacco base note with no residual hydrocarbon solvent.

FeatureCOMERG R134aSteam distillationSolvent (absolute)CO₂ supercritical
Process temperature< 25 °C (room temp)100-150 °C40-60 °C31-80 °C
Suits tobaccoYes, rich basePoor, harshYes, commonYes
Base-note depthPreservedOften burntGoodGood
Solvent residue< 0.1 g/kgNoneNeeds post-purgeNone
Energy use85% less vs solventHighMedium-highVery high
Special facilityNot requiredNot requiredRequiredHigh-pressure safety

From leaf to extract

The machines for tobacco

A complete COMERG line takes tobacco from cured leaf to a finished extract. These are the core stages, each available as standalone equipment.

View all equipment
Product specificationFull composition, properties, packaging and handling for tobacco extract BTob-20.1.
Download PDF

Questions

Tobacco extraction, explained

A 100% natural tobacco leaf extract from Nicotiana tabacum, product code BTob-20.1. It reaches at least 20% volatile oil and carries the warm, leathery base note used in perfumery, with no additives.

Liquefied food-grade gas extraction at room temperature, below 25 °C, and low pressure. Because there is no high heat, the leaf's character is preserved without scorching and solvent residue stays below 0.1 g/kg.

No. It is not edible and is highly poisonous due to its nicotine content. It is a fragrance raw material for perfumery and cosmetics only, not for direct or undiluted use, and must be kept away from children.

Tobacco's value as a base note comes from heavier resinous molecules that harsh heat can burn or distort. Cold R134a extraction concentrates them gently, giving a rich, rounded depth rather than a burnt note.

Roughly 1 kg of extract represents around 350 to 450 kg of cured tobacco leaf.

Yes. The same cold process runs from a 10 l pilot unit to 2000 l production systems, so you can start small and grow without changing method.

Yes. A per-batch GC-MS analysis is available on request, and a Safety Data Sheet per 2006/1907/EC is supplied with the product.

Set up your tobacco line

Tell us your throughput and target product. We will recommend the right system, share a yield estimate for your tobacco leaf, and reply with pricing and lead time, usually within 48 hours.

COMERG extracts are raw materials for product formulation. This tobacco extract is not edible, is highly poisonous, and is intended for fragrance use only. It is not for direct consumption or for undiluted topical application in cosmetics, perfumery or aromatherapy. This information is provided to the best of our knowledge and is not a substitute for prior testing of suitability for the intended use. Keep away from children.

The tobacco line

Equipment for processing tobacco

The machines below make up the tobacco line, the equipment that takes the leaf through to a finished extract. Request a quote on any unit and we will reply with pricing and lead time.

  • 1000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    1000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    An industrial-scale aerosol extraction system for very high-volume, room-temperature, residue-free processing of any botanical.

  • 100L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    100L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A commercial-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 10L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    10L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    An entry-level, fully automated low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from virtually any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 10T Conveyor Dryer System

    10T Conveyor Dryer System

    A continuous belt dryer that gently dries freshly harvested botanical biomass on a four-layer, 12 m mesh belt at an adjustable 0-90 °C, fed and discharged automatically.

  • 150L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    150L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    A production-scale system that refines large lots of botanical extract to a fixed specification at room temperature, with no thermal damage to the active profile.

  • 2000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    2000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    Our largest aerosol extraction platform, built for maximum-volume industrial production with the same gentle, residue-free low-pressure process.

  • 200L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    200L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A high-capacity commercial low-pressure aerosol system for room-temperature, residue-free extraction of essential oils and aromatics from any botanical.

  • 20L Aerosol Extraction System

    20L Aerosol Extraction System

    A compact production-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 20L MAX HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    20L MAX HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A dual-vessel 20L MAX system that doubles throughput while keeping the same gentle, room-temperature, residue-free aerosol extraction for any botanical.

  • 25L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    25L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    A pilot-scale system that scales a validated remediation method to repeatable batches, stripping targeted impurities from extract while protecting the active profile.

  • 30L Ultrasonic Extraction System

    30L Ultrasonic Extraction System

    A 30L ultrasonic-assisted extraction system that uses 20 kHz cavitation to rupture plant cells and release oils into solvent quickly, at low temperature, with vacuum filtration.

  • 500L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    500L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A large-scale industrial aerosol system delivering high-volume, room-temperature, residue-free botanical extraction at low pressure.

  • 500L Vacuum Drying Oven with Drawer

    500L Vacuum Drying Oven with Drawer

    A production-scale 18 cu ft vacuum oven with a pull-out drawer and integrated pump that purges and dries large batches of botanical extract at low temperature.

  • 50L Crystallization Reactor

    50L Crystallization Reactor

    A 50L jacketed reactor that crystallises high-purity botanical isolates from a distilled feed under precise temperature and agitation control, with repeated recrystallisation for maximum purity.

  • 50L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    50L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A floor-standing production-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 50L Vacuum Drying Oven

    50L Vacuum Drying Oven

    A compact 2 cu ft vacuum oven that purges residual solvent and gently dries botanical extracts at low temperature under vacuum, protecting colour, aroma and actives.