Does ozone stop Enzymatic reactions in aging

[3800]

Does ozone stop the Enzymatic reactions in aging from occurring? I used an Ozone machine to sanitize and make sure there weren't mold spores in my kiln before I put leaves in. I'm curious if ozone would change the aging process and if so how.

 

[deluxestogie]

Ozone is a powerful oxidant. Whether or not it denatures intrinsic enzymes in the tobacco lamina has never been studied--to my knowledge. I would imagine that at a sufficient concentration, many of the organic molecules (including tobacco oxidases) would be chemically altered by exposure to ozone, and rendered inactive. That is one of the mechanisms by which ozone kills microbes.

Bob

EDIT: There is no doubt that sufficient ozone exposure kills living tobacco cells.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I have my doubts. I am convinced tobacco fermentation is accomplished internally within the cell structure of the leaf by hydrolysis where oxygen is donated to the reactions by water. I don't see how ozone outside the leaf would interfere with that.

 

[deluxestogie]

I have been unable to find any research on whether or not the leaf stomata are open or closed in fully dead leaf. Regardless, my assumption is that if water vapor (a gas) is capable of entering a dead leaf, then ozone is also capable of passing into the leaf. Many of the molecules that are oxidized during curing and aging are organic molecules. Hydrolysis without the assistance of a catalyst occurs at a glacial pace. In the case of cured tobacco leaf, the catalyst is organic--an enzyme.

I will emphasize that I am guessing here. My intuition says that exposure to sufficient ozone alters the aging process.

Bob