Menthol detection on tobacco

A system for detecting and separating mentholated tobacco from non-mentholated tobacco within a product stream, the system comprising:

• a conveyor configured to cause a product stream to fall in a cascade under influence of gravity;
• a light source configured to supply light to the cascade;
• an ejector having at least one nozzle and configured to eject a fluid onto the cascade to remove a portion of the product stream;
• a detector configured to,
• detect reflected light from the cascade and generate a first signal based on the detected reflected light,
• detect returned light from the cascade and generate a second signal based on the returned light, and
• detect scattered light from the cascade and generate a third signal based on the scattered light;
• and
• a controller configured to control the ejector to eject the fluid based on the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal.