ECOLOGYCAL PURITY AND AUTHENTICITY OF

BULGARIAN ORIENTAL TOBACCO

World Tobacco North America– The Future Supply of Leaf TobaccoRichmond, Virginia, 05/12/2015

Oriental tobacco is grown mainly in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea area, known as the Orient, hence its name. These areas are characterised by their specific soil and climatic conditions. The scarce moisture, poor soils and the abundant sunshine contribute to the formation of the famous small-leaf oriental tobacco with rich content, flavor and unsurpassed taste qualities.

Currently the largest producers of oriental and semi-oriental tobacco are Turkey - around 55,000

tons, the Commonwealth of Independent States - 42,000 tons (mostly semi-oriental tobacco),

Macedonia - 30,000 tons, Greece - around 22,000 tons, and Bulgaria - around 18,000 tons. These

countries produce almost 60% of the total world production of oriental tobacco.

The variety structure of the Basma group in Bulgaria was greatly reduced. Now it consists mainly of the varieties of the Krumovgrad group

Krumovgrad 90, Region Petrich

Krumovgrad 90, Region Gorna Dgumaia

Krumovgrad 58,Region Krumovgrad

Krumovgrad 58,Region Krumovgrad

Advantages of Bulgarian Oriental Tobacco:

1. Authenticity of Bulgarian oriental tobacco varieties.

The negative trend towards lowering the quality of Bulgarian oriental tobacco, observed in recent

years, was the result mainly of:

The widespread growing of a limited range of commercial, high yielding varieties outside

their area of origin.

Relocating part of the production towards the valley microregions;

Introduction of fertilization and irrigation as permanent practices to achieve high yields,

especially after the drastic reduction in the volume of production;

The use, for a certain period of time, of uncertified tobacco seeds by producers and

failure to meet the technological requirements for growing, harvesting, drying, producer

processing and storage of the tobacco.

In recent years Tobacco and Tobacco Products Institute /TTPI/ - Plovdiv began slowly regaining

varieties of the typical Dzhebel Basma. The varieties Dzhebel Basma 1, Dzhebel Basma 2,

Basma 13, Basma 79 were created.

Tobacco and Tobacco Products Institute is the only scientific organization in Europe that

conducts complex research on tobacco crop starting with the seed and its alternative use and

tracking the process all the way to tobacco products and tobacco smoke. The Institute has at its

disposal a laboratory for testing tobacco and tobacco products, supplementary materials and

soils. It is the only one in Bulgaria that is accredited according to ISO 17025:2006.

Tobacco and Tobacco Products Institute, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Two varieties have been restored - "Myumyunovo seme" and "Sekirka", which in terms of

habitus and dried material fully meet the perceptions of the true ( has ) Basma. These two

varieties now substantially differ from their predecessors of 50 years ago on yield and quality

and we can quite rightly say that these are varieties of new generation true ( has ) Basma.

Ecological purity of Bulgarian oriental tobacco varieties.

Oriental tobacco is grown in ecologically clean regions of the country;

There is no use, or limited use, of mineral fertilizers and pesticides.

Strict control is being exercised for the use of permitted means only, and in the

specified doses and time periods.

Extensive technologies for cultivation are being applied, which exclude

contamination of the products.

Ecological Purity of Bulgarian Oriental Tabaco

№Indicator Unit of

measure

Standard/ Validated method

Results of the Analysis Indicator tolerance

(CORESTA standard) (year)

1. Organochlorine pesticides ISO 4389 2006 2010

1.1 Sum of heptachlor and heptachlorepoxide μg/g n.d.* n.d. 0,1

1.2 Endosulfan alfa, beta μg/g n.d. n.d. 1,0

1.3 Sum of aldrin and dieldrin μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,1

1.4 Hexachlorobenzene μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,1

1.5 Endrin μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,05

1.6 HCH and isomers μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,5

1.7 Sum of DDT and isomersq DDE and DDD μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,4

2. Dithiocarbamate pesticides, total estimated as CS2 μg/g ISO 6466 0,40±0,01 0,970±0,025 5,0

n.d.* - not detected

Content of pesticide residues in the "Kabakulak" tobacco variety group, vintage 2006 and 2010.

NoIndicator Unit of

measure Standard/ Validated method

Results of the Analysis Indicator

Tolerance (CORESTA standard)

(year)

1. Organochlorine pesticides ISO 4389 2006 2010

1.1 Sum of heptachlor and heptachlorepoxide μg/g n.d.* n.d. 0,1

1.2 Endosulfan alfa, beta μg/g n.d. n.d. 1,0

1.3 Sum of aldrin and dieldrin μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,1

1.4 Hexachlorobenzene μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,1

1.5 Endrin μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,05

1.6 HCH and isomers μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,5

1.7 Sum of DDT and isomersq DDE and DDD μg/g n.d. n.d. 0,4

2. Dithiocarbamate pesticides, total estimated as CS2 μg/g ISO 6466 0,20±0,02 0,710±0,01 5,0

n.d.* - not detected

Content of pesticide residues in the "Basma" tobacco variety group, vintage 2006 and 2010.

No Indicator Unit of Measure

Standard/Validated method

Results of the Analysis

Indicator Tolerance

1. Heavy metals БДС 17365

1.1 Cooper (Cu) mg/kg 16,90±1,35 -

1.2 Zinc (Zn) mg/kg 45,50±3,91 -

1.3 Lead (Pb) mg/kg 3,00±0,24 -

1.4 Cadmium (Cd) mg/kg 2,50±0,25 -

2. Specific activity of the radionuclides IEC 1452-08

2.1 U 238 Bq/kg 9,0* -

2.2 Ra 226 Bq/kg 5,2±2,1 -

2.3 Th 232 Bq/kg 2,0±0,8 -

2.4 K 40 Bq/kg 616±21 -

2.5 Pb 210 Bq/kg ＜ 31* -

2.6 Bi 214 Bq/kg 0,9±0,4 -

2.7 Pb 214 Bq/kg 0,8±0,4 -

2.8 Cs 137 Bq/kg ＜ 0,32 -

*- less than the limit of determination

Content of heavy metals and specific activity of natural and technogenic radionuclides in the "Kabakulak" tobacco variety group, vintage 2006

№ Indicator Unit of Measure

Standard/Validated method

Results of the Analysis

Indicator Tolerance

1. Heavy metals БДС 17365

1.1 Cooper (Cu) mg/kg 10,58±0,85 -

1.2 Zinc (Zn) mg/kg 42,25±3,63 -

1.3 Lead (Pb) mg/kg 3,50±0,28 -

1.4 Cadmium (Cd) mg/kg 1,65±0,16 -

2. Specific activity of the radionuclides IEC 1452-08

2.1 U 238 Bq/kg 9,1* -

2.2 Ra 226 Bq/kg 9,0±1,9 -

2.3 Th 232 Bq/kg 11,3±1,0 -

2.4 K 40 Bq/kg 637±21 -

2.5 Pb 210 Bq/kg 34±22 -

2.6 Bi 214 Bq/kg 3,0±0,4 -

2.7 Pb 214 Bq/kg 3,1±0,4 -

2.8 Cs 137 Bq/kg 3,9±0,3 -

*- less than the limit of determination

Content of heavy metals and specific activity of natural and technogenic radionuclides In the "Basma" tobacco variety group, vintage 2006

Ecological purity is one of the advantages of Bulgarian tobacco in international markets

compared to its competitors. Recently, and also for the future, production of ecologically clean

(organic) products will be the most valuable advantage for any agricultural production. This

indicator will get more and more established as the criterion for the evaluation of tobacco raw

materials by international dealers.